Panthers Escape Towson, Win 2nd in a Row

"Oak" was big time on the Road.

Photo Courtesy of GSU Sports Communications

The great Lefty Driesell used to say, "Good teams win on the road."

James "Oak" Vincent was a beast today and scored 12 points, grabbed 7 boards and turned away 5 Tiger shots.  This was a strategic move in the previous matchup vs. Towson and it worked again as the Panthers swept Towson for the first time ever.

Towson was winless in CAA play and a loss to them could have been devastating.  Instead, the Panthers got a W and started a little momentum headed into a 2 game homestand.  Georgia State is now 10-13 and 5-8 in CAA play currently sitting in a tie for 8th place with UNC-Wilmington.  This week could be extremely fruitful as wins over Hofstra and Northeastern could launch the Panthers into the 5th or 6th range as the conference tourney is less than a month away.

Next: Home vs. Hofstra on Wednesday at 7pm from the Sports Arena.

Panthers Put Away UNCW in OT, Win 63-58

Good to get a win.  After the NSD Ceremony, it was good to have some momentum on campus.  Big games by Eric Buckner and Josh Micheaux (who got his first start).  Devonta White also returned for a few minutes as he tries to get back on the floor. 

Next: Road Trip to Towson on Saturday.

Panthers Now 0-2 on VA trip

As I mentioned after the Towson win, this was going to be a brutal 6 game stretch.  The team played well in the first half and for stretches in the 2nd half.  George Mason is a better team and proved why they are still undefeated at home.

Cam Long was the Panther nemesis all afternoon and finished the game with 18 points on 8-12 shooting.  He's a very good player and he's earned the All-CAA preseason hype.

The Panthers did again shoot very well from the FT line and have bumped their season average above 57%.  Foul trouble was again an issue as the Panthers committed 24 personal fouls and turned the ball over 20 times.  This doesn't work on the road.

Eric Buckner was challenged in the post game by Coach Barnes for a complete lack of effort.  Buckner finished with 0 points, 3 rebounds in 20 minutes and only attempted 2 shots.  This is unacceptable for your best player.  I hope that Coach Barnes' public challenge will be met with a huge upswing in effort by the 6'10 Junior.

Inside NoVa Link

Next: The Panthers will stay in Virginia and take on VCU on Wednesday night.

Georgia State Tops Towson 73-65

This was a mature win.  It may sound strange but coming home and playing a team than you better than you should win, right?  It hasn't been that easy lately for the Panthers.

James 'Boom' Fields played an excellent all-around game off the bench.  6 points, 9 assists, 2 steals and only 2 turnovers.  Excellent work by the Junior out of Savannah.

Coach Rod Barnes went with a feeling to start James "Oak" Vincent and it paid instant dividends.  11 points (on 5-5 shooting) and 7 rebounds in 22 minutes.  He is proving that he can be a serviceable back up for Eric Buckner who was saddled with foul trouble all night.

Dante Curry did not shoot well and forced multiple 3 point attempts after hitting his first 2.  He finished with 12 points on 4-15 from the field.  The way he has been shooting the last few games, I can't fault Coach Barnes giving him the green light.

Examiner.com Link

Next Game: Panthers head to James Madison on Wednesday to face the Dukes.  Tip time is 7pm.

Panthers Fall 59-56 on GW 3 at UNC-W

Man, this one hurt.  We seemed to do more wrong than right and still had a great chance to win.  Panthers fall to 7-6 overall and 2-1 in CAA play.

Missing starting PG Devonta White, who has been receiving a tremendous amount of treatment on his ankle and is trying to return as soon as possible, was evident.  The Panthers managed only 9 assists vs. the Seahawks and made too many mistakes down the stretch to put UNCW away.

On the last play: Trevor DeLoach has hit a total of 22 career 3 pointers in his 2 year UNCW career.  This was his only made basket and he made it count.  As Coach Barnes said in the postgame, he would have likely preferred DeLoach take that shot than Tomko, Grant or Milson.  Credit him with a clutch shot.

Highlights:
-Dante Curry.  Plain and simple he carried the Panthers tonight. 27 points on 9-13 shooting and hitting seven 3 point baskets for the second time in 3 games.  Great game by Dante and a credit to our guys for finding him.
-Eric Buckner.  He struggled mightily but finished with a still impressive 8 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks on the night.  He is stating his claim as one of the best centers in GSU history after only 13 games.  Yes, he is that good.

Key Factors in the Loss:
-Panthers were 6-18 from the FT line.  We are currently last in the CAA in this category and approaches new depths.  This stat alone has cost us at least 2 games in the Win column this season.
-James Fields shooting misery continues.  He was 0-3 from the field and is now 1-13 from the field in CAA play scoring a total of 4 points in 3 games.  This is not acceptable a starting guard in Division 1 basketball.  I really hope 'Boom' can get it going this weekend vs. Towson.

Next game: Panthers Return Back to the Sports Arena on Saturday for a 6pm tilt vs. Towson.

Men's Basketball Called 'Low Major'

Forget "Mid-Major", MLive.com calls us a 'low major' and calls us one of the low lights as it pertains to Western Michigan (a team from the MAC, mind you) men's basketball schedule in 2010-11.  Some of the quotes:

The lowlights: The Broncos also have to take flights for road games at lowmajors Towson in Baltimore (Dec. 1) and Georgia State in Atlanta (Dec. 11).

Road games at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Nov. 23), Towson and Georgia State are the beginnings of home-and-home series for WMU, with all three programs playing in Kalamazoo next season.


Hawkins said he and his staff would have preferred to find closer opponents than Towson and Georgia State, but couldn’t secure willing partners in the Missouri Valley, Horizon or Summit leagues.

MLive.com Link