The Georgia State Panthers came up short in a heartbreaking 72-68 overtime loss to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
Coastal Carolina was led by their backcourt Vince Cole and Rudi Williams, who scored a combined 38 points. The game was close-fought, with both teams going back and forth in regulation leading to the extra period.
Almost like déjà vu, the Panthers had the ball after a Kane Williams steal with a chance to score before he slipped and attempted to save the ball from going out of bounds which caused him to turn it over. Forcing them to foul, extending the Chanticleers lead to four, making it a two-possession game with under eight seconds to go.
Coming into this game the Panthers were desperate for a win, as the team was riding a four-game losing streak, after suffering a tough home loss to Appalachian State on a last-second shot in the previous contest.
The team had another rough shooting night, as they shot a horrific 31.7% from the field and an even more putrid 10.7% from three. This now marks the fifth straight loss for coach Rob Lanier and his team, and their fourth straight conference loss(0-4). They’re 3-9 on the season against Division 1 opponents.
Coach Lanier discussed what he saw that provided him hope moving forward on the season.
“They gave their all, we’ve got to make some shots. Make some plays and get better at some stuff but I think they’re showing there’s not a lot of quit there and I’m encouraged by that,” said Lanier.
Senior big man Eliel Nsoseme played his best game of the season, reaching career highs in points with 19 and rebounds with 15. He also scored the first six points in overtime for the Panthers.
Freshman Ja’Heim Hudson had his best scoring game of the season with 15 points and seven rebounds for the Panthers.
This season has been a major disappointment for the Panthers, especially seeing they were the number one ranked team in the Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Panthers’ next two games will be away against two conference opponents who are also struggling in Louisiana University and the University of Louisiana Monroe.
