ATLANTA – First half turnover woes allowed Georgia State to build a double digit lead and Little Rock couldn't recover, falling 83-70 to the Panthers Saturday afternoon at the GSU Sports Arena.
The loss is the fourth-straight for the Trojans, who fall to 10-19 on the season and 5-10 in Sun Belt Conference play. Georgia State improves to 21-9 overall and 12-5 in league play, winning its fourth-straight over the Trojans.
Rayjon Tucker led all players with 26 points and eight rebounds, followed by 15 points from
Kris Bankston who was a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor while adding six rebounds.
Deondre Burns was the other Trojan to finish in double figures, scoring all 14 of his points in the second half.
But the Trojans couldn't match the production of Georgia State's veteran squad as six different Panthers finished in double figures. Part of that production was aided by 19 Trojan turnovers, which led to 24 points for Georgia State.
After shooting 28.6% from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, Little Rock finished the game at 46.4% after shooing 57.1% in the second half. The Trojans knocked down 7-of-15 threes in the second half (46.7%) and were 9-for 27 (33.3%) for the game while hitting nine of its 15 free throws.
Playing its final road game of the regular season, Little Rock matched Georgia State in the early going, paced by a pair of dunks from Bankston, as Little Rock took an early 8-7 lead on the home Panthers.
However, that lead was short lived as Georgia State used a 5-0 run to go out in front 12-8, giving the Panthers a lead it would never lose. Little Rock kept the lead at four at 17-13 with 12:08 remaining, but a 10-minute surge by Georgia State would put the game away early.
Over the ensuing 10 minutes, the Panthers outscored the Trojans 20-4, including a stretch where they held Little Rock scoreless for nearly eight minutes, building a 20-point lead at 37-17. Georgia State would extend that lead to as many as 22 at 41-19 before taking a 43-23 lead in to the half, tied for the Trojans' largest halftime deficit of the season.
It was arguably one of Little Rock's roughest opening halves as the Trojans shot just 28.6% from the floor and committed 13 turnovers, with Tucker and Bankston combining for 21 of Little Rocks' 23 first half point.
The start of the second half turned into a three-point shooting contest as Little Rock hit five of its first seven attempts in the first six minutes with Georgia State connecting on both of their attempts. A strong second half from Burns, who scored 10 points in the opening seven minutes, helped Little Rock trim the deficit to 15 at 61-46 with 12:56 remaining.
But the hometown Panthers continued to surge on Senior Day, upping its lead to as many as 26 at 76-50. Little Rock used an 11-0 run to close the game, trimming the deficit to 13 in the final minutes, but the early hole proved too great to overcome as Little Rock drops its third-straight in Atlanta.
One week remains in the Sun Belt Conference regular season as Little Rock continues to fight for a spot in the conference tournament. The Trojans close out the season at home against the schools from the state to the south, beginning with a showdown with Louisiana Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center.
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