What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State knocked down 15 3-pointers to earn a 76-56 win over Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon.
* Sophomore Jeff Thomas came close to a triple-double with 13 points, nine rebounds and six assists off the bench.
* Georgia State will look to extend its winning streak to four games hosting Appalachian State on Monday night at 7 p.m. in the GSU Sports Arena.
ATLANTA-Georgia State knocked down a season-high 15 3-pointers and sophomore Jeff Thomas came close to a triple-double as the Panthers topped Coastal Carolina 76-56 at the GSU Sports Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Thomas came off the bench to finish with 13 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes. He went 5-of-9 from the floor and hit three 3-pointers.
Georgia State (11-7, 4-2 Sun Belt) won its third-straight game and moved into a tie for second place in the league. After shooting just 32.4 percent in the first half, the Panthers heated up in the second, shooting 64.3 percent and going 10-of-17 from 3-point range.
Coastal Carolina (9-10, 4-2 Sun Belt) saw its four-game winning streak snapped despite a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds from Colton Ray-St Cyr.
The Panthers held the Chanticleers to just 30 percent shooting and 25.7 percent from 3-point range.
Senior Jeremy Hollowell added 16 points and five rebounds, while freshman D'Marcus Simonds scored 14 points and pulled down four boards.
“It was a really good win,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “I thought our guys played really well defensively. It's our third-straight game holding our opponents under 40 percent shooting. When we went through those injuries, our defense got all messed up, but I feel like it is starting to come around and played really well this afternoon.”
Leading 8-7 early in the game, Georgia State used a 20-2 run to take a 22-7 lead with 6:51 to play. On the other end, the Panthers forced Coastal Carolina to miss 19-of-21 shots over the stretch, while holding the Chanticleers scoreless for just under nine minutes.
Georgia State led by as many as 15 in the first half and went into the locker room leading 28-17 as Hollowell knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Panthers held Coastal Carolina to just 19 percent shooting in the first half, including 2-of-18 from 3-point range.
Building a 34-22 lead early in the second half, Georgia State used an 8-0 which included 3-pointers from Session and Simonds to build a 42-22 lead with 15:45 to play.
Coastal Carolina responded with a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 11, 42-31, with 14:09 remaining, before Hollowell responded with a lay-up to end the stretch.
That was as close as the Chanticleers would get as the Panthers pushed the lead to as big as 73-49 with 3:49 to play.
Junior Isaiah Williams added eight points and four assists, while Jordan Session knocked down a pair of 3-pointers.
Georgia State's bench finished with 31 points. The Panthers dished out 19 assists and turned the ball over just 10 times.
Georgia State will continue its home-stand and host Appalachian State on Monday night at 7 p.m. in the Sports Arena live on ESPN3.
