Men’s Basketball lose first home game in 12 months

Starting point guard Isaiah Williams finished with 0 points and 3 assists in the 87-54 loss to UL Lafayette Photo By | The Signal
Starting point guard Isaiah Williams finished with 0 points and 3 assists in the 87-54 loss to UL Lafayette
Photo By | The Signal

Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year Shawn Long led UL Lafayette to an 87-54 win in the GSU Sports Arena. The loss for the Panthers ends the team’s 15-game home winning streak and give Georgia State its second home loss since the 2013-14 season.

The 6-foot-9 Long finished with 23 points, 18 rebounds, two blocks and two assists on the day. He was also the leading rebounder in the Sun Belt conference last season and finished fifth in the scoring category.

“You can’t give up 11 three’s and then guard Shawn Long, you’re just not going to do that,” head coach Ron Hunter said after the loss.

The Cajuns second-leading scorer came off the bench, as Kasey Shepherd added 19 points in the winning effort. For Georgia State, Kevin Ware led the charge with 19 points and 9 rebounds, only one rebound shy of his first career double-double. Jeremy Hollowell was second on the team scoring wise, contributing 14 points during the game where only two Panthers reached double digits in scoring.

The 33 point loss is the worst in Hunter’s career at Georgia State since taking the position in 2011.

Next for the Men’s Basketball team is welcoming in-state rival Georgia Southern on Jan.19 at 7:30 p.m.