PENSACOLA, FL --Mikyla Tolivert collected 26 points, but the Georgia State women's basketball team fell to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 77-68 at Pensacola Bay Center Saturday.
"Obviously, this is not how we wanted to end it, but I'm just so proud of what we accomplished this year," head coach Gene Hill said. "This is the first time Georgia State women's basketball has been in the Sun Belt [championship tournament] for multiple games, soo I think we've we've laid some foundations."
Tolivert added seven rebounds and three steals to her 26 point game to lead the Panthers (17-16). Crystal Henderson helped out with 11 points and seven assists and Mya Williams chipped in with 12 points and two steals coming off the bench.
The Georgia State offense made hay from downtown, pouring in nine threes on 29 attempts. Tolivert hit four treys for the Panthers in the contest.
Georgia State forced 16 Coastal Carolina turnovers while committing 10 themselves in Saturday's game. The Panthers turned those takeaways into 16 points on the other end of the floor. Tolivert's three steals led the way for Georgia State.
"I'm really excited about what this team accomplished, but more importantly, I'm really proud of these young ladies because they really laid it on the line- not only this tonight and this week, but throughout the year. People thought that this team was was over, but they just refused to quit and that's the type of personality each one of these ladies have."
How It Happened
After falling behind 14-6, Georgia State went on a 10-0 run with 1:50 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Williams, to take a 16-14 lead. Coastal Carolina then responded to tie things up at 16-16 heading into the second quarter. Georgia State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 10 of its 16 points close to the basket.
The Chanticleers then took control in the second quarter and the Panthers entered haltime behind 34-28.
Georgia State's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Panthers faced a 53-40 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Georgia State played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 12 points in the paint.
Coastal Carolina kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 71-57 advantage before Georgia State went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Henderson's three, to shrink the deficit to 71-63 with 1:14 to go in the contest. Coastal Carolina responded and outscored the Panthers the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 77-68. Georgia State fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 28 points.
Game Notes
» Georgia State found success from beyond the arc, knocking down nine treys in the game.
» The Georgia State defense forced 16 turnovers.
» Georgia State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 16 offensive boards in the game.
» Mikyla Tolivert led the Panthers with a game-high 26 points.
» Georgia State got seven rebounds from both Mahogany Matthews and Mikyla Tolivert.
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