Panthers Rally Late, Can't Sustain It Fall at ODU 60-43

You can't score 43 points and expect to win.  Brutal shooting from the field and from 3 point range.  With that being said, we had a chance: Josh Micheaux's rebound and stick back cut the lead to 5 points.  He also was fouled but missed the FT with 3:58 remaining in the ball game.  With the score 47-42, the Monarchs do exactly what great teams do, they close the deal.  From that point forward, ODU went on a 13-1 run to end it 60-43.  The loss drops GSU to 11-15 overall and 6-10 in conference play.  This loss assures another .500 or worse regular season extending that streak to 7 straight non-winning regular seasons.

Eric Buckner again was a non factor with 0 points in 17 minutes.  James Fields was aggressive but couldn't buy a bucket and finished 0-8 from the field in 27 minutes.

James Vincent was a bright spot with 11 points and 11 boards.  That's excellent work off the bench but not when your starting 5 has scored a total 24 points.  Jihad Ali had a good game with 14 points on 6 shots in 31 minutes.

ODU is a better team and is the best team in the CAA this season.  They will get an at large bid to the NCAA Tourney even if they somehow slip in the conference tournament.  That being said, they were absolutely primed for an upset and we found a way to give this one away again.

Highlights (begin at 3:25)

Next: The Panthers step out of CAA play to participate in the ESPN Bracketbuster game at Louisiana Tech on Saturday at 4pm.

Panthers Fall 79-67 to James Madison

Disappointed in the loss but James Madison is a better team. I'll take the home and home split with this team. The Dukes are roaring right now and are playing like one of the top teams in the CAA.

Some positives:
-FT shooting - Panthers were 12-15 from the charity stripe (80%). That's progress folks.
-Keeping Denzel Bowles below his season scoring average.  The dude is a monster.  Eric Buckner doesn't have the weight, James Vincent doesn't have the quicks.  Bowles still went for a double-double but the guy will have many better days on teams better than us.
-Playing JMU even through the 2nd 20 minutes.  JMU outscored us 47-44 in the 2nd half.  We can build on that.

I've said all year, I believe this team will continue to get better. VCU just lost Rozzell for 2-3 weeks with a broken hand. I hope we can get a win over there on Saturday.

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.