The second game of a long road trip for Georgia State men’s basketball ended with an 80˗70 defeat at the hands of the Colorado State Rams in Fort Collins, Colo.
The Panthers had a 12 point lead in the first half and a 5 point edge at halftime before the Rams’ defense and free throw shooting from Georgia State contributed to Colorado State outscoring the Panthers 51˗36 in the second half.
Stanton Kidd of Colorado State scored the first points of the night as he nailed a three˗point shot. The panthers first points came from R.J. Hunter as he put a two˗point jumper through the hoop to make the score 3˗2.
Later in the half, Georgia State would see a three˗pointer from Ryan Harrow to give the Panthers their first advantage of the night at 5˗3.
The opening minutes of this one would remain close as the Panthers and Rams exchanged the ensuing four points with Georgia State holding a 9˗7 lead. A three˗pointer from John Gilland gave Colorado State a 10˗9 lead before the Panthers embarked on a 7˗0 run that gave them a 16˗10 lead.
Georgia State would maintain their early lead at 21˗16 before Harrow and Hunter led the Panthers on a 7˗0 run for a 28˗16 lead. Gian Clavell’s three˗pointer ended the run to make the score 28˗19. Georgia State’s lead would be eight later in the game at 30˗22.
Colorado State trimmed its deficit to five at 34˗29 with less than a minute to play in the first half. The Rams had a chance to shrink their deficit further as they had the last shot of the half before a three˗point miss and two˗point layup attempt did not go through the net.
| Georgia State | Colorado State |
|---|---|
| Ryan Harrow: 14 points, three assists | R.J. Hunter: 13 points, five rebounds |
| Gian Clavell: eight points, three rebounds | Joe De Ciman: six points, two assists |
It would be a different story to begin the second half. Off the lead the Panthers had built in the first half, Colorado State was able to find its way back in the game as they eventually tied Georgia State at 40˗40. The Rams would eventually make five consecutive shots as they took a one˗point, 46˗45 lead on the Panthers.
Colorado State had an easier time finding the basket in the second half as the lead would grow to 50˗47 for the Rams before a three from Hunter tied the game. The three˗point basket upped Hunter’s point total for the game to 17.
With seven minutes to go, the two teams would find themselves all square at 56˗56. The Colorado State lead would become four with over five minutes to play. After Harrow missed what looked to be a sure layup, J. J. Avila converted on his layup and was fouled by Curtis Washington. Avila made his following free throw attempt which produced a 62˗58 score.
After a made shot from Crider, an 9˗0 run from the Rams would include a technical foul against Panthers coach Ron Hunter, who gave Colorado State a 71˗60 lead. Instrumental in the Rams turning things around against Georgia State included making the majority of their free throw attempts.
Colorado State’s lead would then increase to 76˗60. The Panthers would score five more points to cut their deficit to eleven at 76˗65, and later at 78˗67. The game would end with the Rams prevailing by a final of 80˗70.
The Panthers will hit the court Monday as they play Chicago State in the first of three games of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic in Oakland, Michigan.
| Georgia State | Colorado State |
|---|---|
| Harrow: 26 points, nine five assists | Hunter: 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists |
| Daniel Bejarano: 16 points, six rebounds | Stanton Kidd: 16 points, 12 rebounds |
