The Georgia State Men’s Basketball team defeated Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, 92-80, on Saturday afternoon. With this win, State moves one game of first place behind the Little Rock Trojans.
For the Panthers, sophomore guard Nelson Phillips and redshirt senior guard Damon Wilson scored 20 points apiece. Phillips has been on a roll for the past two games–he scored 16 against Appalachian State on Thursday.
Head Coach Rob Lanier praised Phillips’ performance after the game.
“Nelson is a talented guy,” Lanier said. “I am not surprised when he plays well. At some point, the game is going to slow down for him. He is not going to rely on his athleticism. He is going to grow in his mental scope.”
Although the game was controlled by Georgia State throughout, the Chanticleers gave the Panthers a run for their money before the lead opened up.
Redshirt sophomore guard Justin Roberts acknowledged the reliable play on both ends of the floor for Georgia State.
“The defense leads to a good offense,” he said. “Playing hard on defense leads to that stop, so it harder to be careless with the ball.”
With Little Rock losing to UT Arlington and Georgia Southern losing to Appalachian State Saturday, the Panthers move into second-place. They sit just one game back of Little Rock.
Coming up, Georgia State will play on the road twice, at UT Arlington on Thursday and at Texas State on Saturday, before coming home to host Georgia Southern.
But, two weeks from today is the big game: Georgia Southern comes to the GSU Sports Arena on Feb. 29.
It is safe to say Rob Lanier’s team has their work cut out for them over the next few weeks.
