SBC Tournament Semifinals: #1 GSU 72 – #4 A-State 45
Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Well…to put it simply…Georgia State continued doing what they do best…winning.
Despite jumping out to an early lead, A-State couldn’t hold off the Panthers as GSU pulled back and gained control of the of the game and held a 32-24 lead. Georgia State would continue their dominance as they closed the game with a final score of 72-45.
Overall you could just tell that the Red Wolves were struggling as GSU won almost every statistical category. A-State ended up shooting 32% from the floor…21% from the 3…and 43% from the FT line. They would only force 3 turnovers and only capitalize one point from those turnovers.
The leading performers for the Red Wolves were Kendrick Washington (12pts; 12 reb) and Melvin Johnson III (10pts; 6 reb). These two guys were the lone double digit scorers for A-State…as it is evident the Red Wolves were just totally out of this ball game.
Georgia State asserted their dominance and has now made their way to the game that will result in a punched ticket to the NCAA tournament. The Panthers had a good outing as they shot 50% on their field goals…30% from behind the arc…and 70% from the charity stripe. They forced 10 turnovers and scored 17 points off of those turnovers. They were also to get back down the court in transition faster than the Red Wolves as they scored 14 points on fast breaks. Just going to show the possible fatigue that plagued A-State. The Panthers were also able to work things down in the post…as they doubled the Red Wolves points scored in the paint with 28 of their own.
The main impact Panther performers were as usual Ryan Harrow (20pts; 4 ast), R.J. Hunter (16pts; 7 reb), and Manny Atkins (12pts; 7 reb). These guys have been the core of the Georgia State squad all season long…and they continue to lead them as they are headed to the SBC Championship.
That is all from this matchup! Georgia State has punched their ticket to the Championship game and will play the winner of the WKU/ULL game at Noon tomorrow on ESPN2! Check back in a little while and we will break down game 2 for the day! Enjoy the rest of the SBC action!