December 19 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
Nice way to start Sun Belt Conference play as the Panthers had four in double figures in an 83-77 win.
Damon Wilson, the team's lone senior, led the way with a career-high 22 points, while adding his usual complimentary statistics as well (six rebounds and two assists, two blocks and two steals). The GSU backcourt, which is the clear strength of the team, was excellent tonight with Kane Williams adding 17 points and five assists and Justin Roberts chipping in with 15 points, six assists and five steals.
Another guard and the Panthers' leading scorer, Corey Allen, had a brutal fall on his back in the first half and only played 11 minutes. It'd be tough to lose Allen for any amount of time, though again, if any area of the team can afford an injury, it's the backcourt.
Jalen Thomas, a freshman who is part of young frontcourt (along with fellow freshman Joe Jones) that could help in a big way this season, had 11 points and five blocked shots.
That's six straight wins for GSU, which hasn't lost since falling at Georgetown on November 17.
Showing posts with label ut arlington mavericks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ut arlington mavericks. Show all posts
Game 755: Back-to-back
(2) UT Arlington vs. (1) Georgia State
Sun Belt championship
March 17 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA
ESPN2
Georgia State made program history on Sunday.
The top seed used a stifling defense once again to win convincingly, 73-64 and capture the Sun Belt title for the second consecutive season.
The Panthers, who held UT Arlington to 35% shooting a day after limiting fourth-seeded Texas State to 21% in the semifinals, have reached the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time. All five starters scored in double figures, led by tournament MVP Malik Benlevi, who was fantastic in two games.
Benlevi, one of four seniors who will play in the tournament for the second time later this week, finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the final and averaged 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in the two games in New Orleans. Benlevi clearly wants nothing to do with his collegiate career coming to an end, and neither do his teammates:
- Damon Wilson continued his late-season surge as the redshirt-junior scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and was the catalyst at the top of GSU's zone defense, harassing Arlington's guards all afternoon. Guard Brian Warren, who scored 21 points in the Mavericks' semifinal win over No. 2 seed Georgia Southern, was just 4-of-18 from the field on Sunday. Wilson was a huge reason why.
- Sophomore point guard Kane Williams, one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, added 12 points and five assists. Williams has gone from an up-and-down freshman to an integral part of an NCAA Tournament team in just 12 months.
- Another senior, Jeff Thomas added 11 points and was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
- GSU would've been much better than its 25-for-34 performance from the line if it wasn't for D'Marcus Simonds' struggles. The Panthers' top player, and absurdly their only all-Sun Belt recipient, was 2-of-9 from the charity stripe to finish with just 10 points. It's good news for GSU when the junior Simonds can have a tough night (he was also only 4-of-12 from the field) and still have a fairly-comfortable win in the conference championship game.
GSU, which as a 15-seed lost in the opening round to second-seeded Cincinnati in last year's tournament, received a No. 14 seed and will head to Tulsa, Oklahoma for Friday's opening round against another American Athletic Conference team, third-seeded Houston.
Georgia State made program history on Sunday.
The top seed used a stifling defense once again to win convincingly, 73-64 and capture the Sun Belt title for the second consecutive season.
The Panthers, who held UT Arlington to 35% shooting a day after limiting fourth-seeded Texas State to 21% in the semifinals, have reached the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time. All five starters scored in double figures, led by tournament MVP Malik Benlevi, who was fantastic in two games.
Benlevi, one of four seniors who will play in the tournament for the second time later this week, finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the final and averaged 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in the two games in New Orleans. Benlevi clearly wants nothing to do with his collegiate career coming to an end, and neither do his teammates:
- Damon Wilson continued his late-season surge as the redshirt-junior scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and was the catalyst at the top of GSU's zone defense, harassing Arlington's guards all afternoon. Guard Brian Warren, who scored 21 points in the Mavericks' semifinal win over No. 2 seed Georgia Southern, was just 4-of-18 from the field on Sunday. Wilson was a huge reason why.
- Sophomore point guard Kane Williams, one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, added 12 points and five assists. Williams has gone from an up-and-down freshman to an integral part of an NCAA Tournament team in just 12 months.
- Another senior, Jeff Thomas added 11 points and was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
- GSU would've been much better than its 25-for-34 performance from the line if it wasn't for D'Marcus Simonds' struggles. The Panthers' top player, and absurdly their only all-Sun Belt recipient, was 2-of-9 from the charity stripe to finish with just 10 points. It's good news for GSU when the junior Simonds can have a tough night (he was also only 4-of-12 from the field) and still have a fairly-comfortable win in the conference championship game.
GSU, which as a 15-seed lost in the opening round to second-seeded Cincinnati in last year's tournament, received a No. 14 seed and will head to Tulsa, Oklahoma for Friday's opening round against another American Athletic Conference team, third-seeded Houston.
Games 676-677: Two on Saturday
677 - Bowling Green at Miami (Ohio)
January 26 at Millett Hall in Oxford, OH
The MAC on ESPN
676 - UT Arlington at Georgia State
January 26 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
ESPN +
Jeff Thomas!
My favorite Panther since current Boston Celtics guard R.J. Hunter delivered in a big way Saturday, scoring 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting in a 77-71 win.
Thomas reached the 1,000-point plateau with the first basket of the game (he's the 21st in school history to reach that mark), then was the only consistent shooter for GSU, which was out-rebounded 48-30 (UTA grabbed an absurd 21 offensive rebounds), and saw its best player, D'Marcus Simonds, score one point, miss all nine of his field goal attempts and basically sit out the entire second half.
It's a win, though, and it snapped a two-game losing streak and helped GSU (15-6) improve to 6-2 in Sun Belt play.
Great days for sophomore point guard Kane Williams, who came off the bench to score 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and Jordan Tyson, a senior, who got a rare start and had perhaps his best game in two years with the Panthers (career-high 11 points, five rebounds, three blocks, two steals).
January 26 at Millett Hall in Oxford, OH
The MAC on ESPN
676 - UT Arlington at Georgia State
January 26 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
ESPN +
Jeff Thomas!
My favorite Panther since current Boston Celtics guard R.J. Hunter delivered in a big way Saturday, scoring 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting in a 77-71 win.
Thomas reached the 1,000-point plateau with the first basket of the game (he's the 21st in school history to reach that mark), then was the only consistent shooter for GSU, which was out-rebounded 48-30 (UTA grabbed an absurd 21 offensive rebounds), and saw its best player, D'Marcus Simonds, score one point, miss all nine of his field goal attempts and basically sit out the entire second half.
It's a win, though, and it snapped a two-game losing streak and helped GSU (15-6) improve to 6-2 in Sun Belt play.
Great days for sophomore point guard Kane Williams, who came off the bench to score 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and Jordan Tyson, a senior, who got a rare start and had perhaps his best game in two years with the Panthers (career-high 11 points, five rebounds, three blocks, two steals).
Games 658-659: Thursday doubleheader
659 - Southeast Missouri State at SIU-Edwardsville
January 3 at Sam Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, IL
OVC on ESPN
Phenomenal night for freshman Cameron Williams, who scored a career-high 27 points in SIU-Edwardsville's 94-88 victory.
Williams, senior David McFarland (22 points) and junior Brandon Jackson (17) combined to shoot 54% from the field (24-of-34), part of a 58% team effort.
Southeast Missouri was just as good shooting the ball, knocking down half of its 26 three-point attempts and 51% overall. The Redhawks had 20 assists on 30 made baskets.
"dribble drive"
Got a nice, late-first half "dribble drive" from color commentator Colin Suhre, who said it with 1:45 to go until halftime.
Here's the full list.
658 - Georgia State at UT-Arlington
January 3 at College Park Center in Arlington, TX
January 3 at Sam Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, IL
OVC on ESPN
Phenomenal night for freshman Cameron Williams, who scored a career-high 27 points in SIU-Edwardsville's 94-88 victory.
Williams, senior David McFarland (22 points) and junior Brandon Jackson (17) combined to shoot 54% from the field (24-of-34), part of a 58% team effort.
Southeast Missouri was just as good shooting the ball, knocking down half of its 26 three-point attempts and 51% overall. The Redhawks had 20 assists on 30 made baskets.
"dribble drive"
Got a nice, late-first half "dribble drive" from color commentator Colin Suhre, who said it with 1:45 to go until halftime.
Here's the full list.
658 - Georgia State at UT-Arlington
January 3 at College Park Center in Arlington, TX
ESPN +
The wins don't all have to be pretty, and this one certainly was not.
GSU used an excellent perimeter defense - Arlington missed 23 of its 25 three-point attempts - and held on for a 63-58 win to open Sun Belt Conference play.
The defending league champion Panthers hit half of their 18 shots in the first half, but just 33% in the second and that allowed the hosts to get to within two with 30 seconds to play. Devin Mitchell, who hit three 3-pointers within the first minute and a half of the game, didn't score again until knocking down a pair of free throws, Kane Williams had a steal and two more free throws and that put the game away.
It was ugly - 19 turnovers, 60% shooting from the line - but I'll take a 1-0 start in league play after three consecutive losses in conference openers.
The wins don't all have to be pretty, and this one certainly was not.
GSU used an excellent perimeter defense - Arlington missed 23 of its 25 three-point attempts - and held on for a 63-58 win to open Sun Belt Conference play.
The defending league champion Panthers hit half of their 18 shots in the first half, but just 33% in the second and that allowed the hosts to get to within two with 30 seconds to play. Devin Mitchell, who hit three 3-pointers within the first minute and a half of the game, didn't score again until knocking down a pair of free throws, Kane Williams had a steal and two more free throws and that put the game away.
It was ugly - 19 turnovers, 60% shooting from the line - but I'll take a 1-0 start in league play after three consecutive losses in conference openers.
Games 569-571: Championship
Sun Belt Tournament
March 9-11 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA
571 - championship
(4) UT-Arlington vs. (2) Georgia State
ESPN2
570 - semifinals
(3) Georgia Southern vs. (2) Georgia State
espn3.com
569 - quarterfinals
(7) Troy vs. (2) Georgia State
espn3.com
That was an extremely satisfying championship run.
GSU got 27 points from D'Marcus Simonds and never trailed in defeating UT Arlington 74-61 in the Sun Belt final.
Simonds picked up Most Outstanding Player honors for the tournament despite struggling in the semifinal win. The sophomore was 8-of-19 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line (the team finished 16-of-20) a day after scoring only six points and fouling out in a 73-67 victory. When Simonds is driving to the rim and making lay-ups and/or getting fouled like he was Sunday, GSU is a tough team to beat.
Here's a great statistic: GSU trailed for a total of 18 seconds during this tournament. Georgia Southern took a 7-6 lead with 15:43 left in the first half of Saturday's game, and at the 15:25 mark, Coye Simmons of Georgia Southern picked up a foul and a technical foul, GSU went up 9-7 thanks to a 3-of-4 stay at the line and didn't trail for the rest of the weekend.
So, thank you Coye Simmons?
The defense was outstanding Sunday, holding Arlington's top two players - Erick Neal and Kevin Hervey - to a combined shooting performance of 4-of-29 and the team to just 29% from the field (17-of-57).
GSU is in the tournament for the first time since 2015, was given a No. 15 seed and will play No. 2 seed and American Conference champion Cincinnati in the first round on Friday.
March 9-11 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA
(4) UT-Arlington vs. (2) Georgia State
ESPN2
570 - semifinals
(3) Georgia Southern vs. (2) Georgia State
espn3.com
569 - quarterfinals
(7) Troy vs. (2) Georgia State
espn3.com
That was an extremely satisfying championship run.
GSU got 27 points from D'Marcus Simonds and never trailed in defeating UT Arlington 74-61 in the Sun Belt final.
Simonds picked up Most Outstanding Player honors for the tournament despite struggling in the semifinal win. The sophomore was 8-of-19 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line (the team finished 16-of-20) a day after scoring only six points and fouling out in a 73-67 victory. When Simonds is driving to the rim and making lay-ups and/or getting fouled like he was Sunday, GSU is a tough team to beat.
Here's a great statistic: GSU trailed for a total of 18 seconds during this tournament. Georgia Southern took a 7-6 lead with 15:43 left in the first half of Saturday's game, and at the 15:25 mark, Coye Simmons of Georgia Southern picked up a foul and a technical foul, GSU went up 9-7 thanks to a 3-of-4 stay at the line and didn't trail for the rest of the weekend.
So, thank you Coye Simmons?
The defense was outstanding Sunday, holding Arlington's top two players - Erick Neal and Kevin Hervey - to a combined shooting performance of 4-of-29 and the team to just 29% from the field (17-of-57).
GSU is in the tournament for the first time since 2015, was given a No. 15 seed and will play No. 2 seed and American Conference champion Cincinnati in the first round on Friday.
Games 543-544: Saturday doubleheader
544 - Gonzaga at BYU
February 24 at Marriott Center in Provo, UT
ESPN2
Eric Rothman and Caron Butler combined to say "Zags" 25 times, and also said these things:
"they don't rebuild they just reload"
"they all have sweat equity in these conferences"
"play with a bulls eye on their back"
"he's a shot maker not a shot taker" (pardon?)
"the glue guys"
"winning basketball pass"
"effort plays"
"hanging their hat on the defensive end of the floor"
"you have to stay goal oriented"
"carve out that space"
"change the culture"/"winning a culture"/"creating a winning culture"
543 - Georgia State at UT Arlington
February 24 at College Park Center in Arlington, TX
espn3.com
February 24 at Marriott Center in Provo, UT
ESPN2
Eric Rothman and Caron Butler combined to say "Zags" 25 times, and also said these things:
"they don't rebuild they just reload"
"they all have sweat equity in these conferences"
"play with a bulls eye on their back"
"he's a shot maker not a shot taker" (pardon?)
"the glue guys"
"winning basketball pass"
"effort plays"
"hanging their hat on the defensive end of the floor"
"you have to stay goal oriented"
"carve out that space"
"change the culture"/"winning a culture"/"creating a winning culture"
543 - Georgia State at UT Arlington
February 24 at College Park Center in Arlington, TX
espn3.com
Game 497-498: Thursday split
498 - UT Arlington at Georgia State
January 25 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
Nice win for the Panthers, who got everything they could've asked for from D'Marcus Simonds in an 81-75 win.
The sophomore poured in 29 points on 13-of-27 shooting, and added 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Another great atmosphere at the arena as well tonight and it got louder and louder as the game went on. GSU erased an eight-point first-half deficit and a seven-point deficit in the second half to win its sixth straight. Also a great night for Jordan Session, who played excellent defense and contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds (six offensive), his second double-double of the season and first since a November 26 win over Tulane.
Back to Simonds, who came into the night tied for 24th nationally in scoring, then put together his 11th 20-point game of the year. Current Houston Rocket R.J. Hunter holds the school's scoring record with 1,819 points (which he accomplished in just three seasons), but if this pace continues for Simonds - he's at 836 career points on January 25 of his sophomore season - he's sure to pass Hunter at some point.
Kevin Hervey, who came into the night just .3 points back of Simonds atop the Sun Belt scoring leader board, scored 22 and he and Kaelon Wilson (21 points) combined for a 17-of-33 shooting night, but their teammates were just 10-of-35.
497 - UT Arlington women at Georgia State
January 25 at GSU Sports Arena
A really tough loss for the Georgia State women in the opener as UT Arlington scored nine of the last 12 points of overtime to pick up a 81-76 victory. Before that, GSU had a shot to win the game in regulation, but trailing 70-69 with 1.8 seconds left, Juliet James missed the back end of a 1-and-1.
It would've been an even worse loss for the visiting Mavericks, who led by 16 points in the opening half. Madison Newby was terrific with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting and 12 assists and led GSU back into it, but she attempted just two shots and scored two points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
It looked like UT Arlington's Rebecca VanDijk was going to dominate all evening and the Mavericks were going to cruise. VanDijk started the game hitting her first six shots, all of which came within two feet of the basket, and had 23 points by halftime. But like Arlington's defense on Newby, Georgia State focused on doubling and making life uncomfortable for Van Dijk and the senior scored just four points after halftime.
Janessa Murphy stepped up for GSU - 17 of her 20 points after halftime - and Laurynn McGowen did the same for the visitors - 13 of her 20 after the break.
January 25 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
Nice win for the Panthers, who got everything they could've asked for from D'Marcus Simonds in an 81-75 win.
The sophomore poured in 29 points on 13-of-27 shooting, and added 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Another great atmosphere at the arena as well tonight and it got louder and louder as the game went on. GSU erased an eight-point first-half deficit and a seven-point deficit in the second half to win its sixth straight. Also a great night for Jordan Session, who played excellent defense and contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds (six offensive), his second double-double of the season and first since a November 26 win over Tulane.
Back to Simonds, who came into the night tied for 24th nationally in scoring, then put together his 11th 20-point game of the year. Current Houston Rocket R.J. Hunter holds the school's scoring record with 1,819 points (which he accomplished in just three seasons), but if this pace continues for Simonds - he's at 836 career points on January 25 of his sophomore season - he's sure to pass Hunter at some point.
Kevin Hervey, who came into the night just .3 points back of Simonds atop the Sun Belt scoring leader board, scored 22 and he and Kaelon Wilson (21 points) combined for a 17-of-33 shooting night, but their teammates were just 10-of-35.
497 - UT Arlington women at Georgia State
January 25 at GSU Sports Arena
A really tough loss for the Georgia State women in the opener as UT Arlington scored nine of the last 12 points of overtime to pick up a 81-76 victory. Before that, GSU had a shot to win the game in regulation, but trailing 70-69 with 1.8 seconds left, Juliet James missed the back end of a 1-and-1.
It would've been an even worse loss for the visiting Mavericks, who led by 16 points in the opening half. Madison Newby was terrific with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting and 12 assists and led GSU back into it, but she attempted just two shots and scored two points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
It looked like UT Arlington's Rebecca VanDijk was going to dominate all evening and the Mavericks were going to cruise. VanDijk started the game hitting her first six shots, all of which came within two feet of the basket, and had 23 points by halftime. But like Arlington's defense on Newby, Georgia State focused on doubling and making life uncomfortable for Van Dijk and the senior scored just four points after halftime.
Janessa Murphy stepped up for GSU - 17 of her 20 points after halftime - and Laurynn McGowen did the same for the visitors - 13 of her 20 after the break.
Games 410-411: Opening weekend doubleheader
411 - Howard at Indiana
November 12 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN
Big 10 Network
It was a nice night of basketball phrases and general nonsense from the Big 10 Network duo of Brandon Gaudin and Stephen Bardo.
"a jack of all trades" (3)
"the pressure cooker that is the Indiana Hoosiers"
"integral cog in the attack"
"rise and fire"
"he's got a lot of city in his game"
"Bob Hurley and St Anthony's"
"tear drop" (2)
"volume shooters"
"court vision"
"and now, a teaching moment"
"on NBA scouts radar"
"hoops hotbed"
"old school"
"tremendous upside" (2)
"the Butler way"
410 - Loyola Marymount at UT Arlington
November 11 at College Park Center in Arlington, TX
espn3.com
November 12 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN
Big 10 Network
It was a nice night of basketball phrases and general nonsense from the Big 10 Network duo of Brandon Gaudin and Stephen Bardo.
"a jack of all trades" (3)
"the pressure cooker that is the Indiana Hoosiers"
"integral cog in the attack"
"rise and fire"
"he's got a lot of city in his game"
"Bob Hurley and St Anthony's"
"tear drop" (2)
"volume shooters"
"court vision"
"and now, a teaching moment"
"on NBA scouts radar"
"hoops hotbed"
"old school"
"tremendous upside" (2)
"the Butler way"
410 - Loyola Marymount at UT Arlington
November 11 at College Park Center in Arlington, TX
espn3.com
Games 311-312 - Sun Belt doubleheader
312 - UT Arlington men at Georgia State
February 18 at GSU Sports Arena
espn3.com
It was another extremely dissapointing, close loss for the mens team, which fell 68-67 on a 3-pointer by Erick Neal with one second to play.
That's three straight defeats by a combined seven points for GSU.
Neal hadn't been a factor at any point in Saturday's game (2-of-9 shooting and just six points before the shot) & had taken THE TWO WORST SHOTS in an afternoon by both teams of worst shots. The miracle three capped a big comeback by the first-place Mavericks, who trailed 53-38 at the 11-minute mark before a 14-0 run cut the deficit to one point.
The Panthers again built a lead and it was up to 65-58 on two of Jeremy Hollowell's game-high 19 points at the 2:09 mark, but Arlington closed the game scoring 10 of the final 12 points.
Arlington's defense had 13 steals and forced 21 turnovers.
311 - UT Arlington women at Georgia State
February 18 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
Huge win for seventh-place Georgia State, which knocked off an Arlington team that came into the game tied for second with Troy in the Sun Belt.
A big reason for the 64-59 win, which moved GSU to 7-8 in league play (Arlington's now 10-4), was the work done on the defensive end on Rebekah VanDijk. The junior started the day second in the conference at 16.2 points, but was held to eight points and attempted only five shots.
GSU has done a fine job on the 6-5 center the last three times the teams have met. In two games last season, VanDijk scored a total of 17 points, and in the three contests shot just 30%.
Meanwhile, the combination of Jada Lewis and Makeba Ponder led the hosts on Saturday. Lewis, a freshman guard from nearby McEachern High School, scored 21 points and Ponder continued to add to her career three-point total (she's second in school history to Kendra Long) knocking down six threes for 20 points of her own.
February 18 at GSU Sports Arena
espn3.com
It was another extremely dissapointing, close loss for the mens team, which fell 68-67 on a 3-pointer by Erick Neal with one second to play.
That's three straight defeats by a combined seven points for GSU.
Neal hadn't been a factor at any point in Saturday's game (2-of-9 shooting and just six points before the shot) & had taken THE TWO WORST SHOTS in an afternoon by both teams of worst shots. The miracle three capped a big comeback by the first-place Mavericks, who trailed 53-38 at the 11-minute mark before a 14-0 run cut the deficit to one point.
The Panthers again built a lead and it was up to 65-58 on two of Jeremy Hollowell's game-high 19 points at the 2:09 mark, but Arlington closed the game scoring 10 of the final 12 points.
Arlington's defense had 13 steals and forced 21 turnovers.
311 - UT Arlington women at Georgia State
February 18 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
Huge win for seventh-place Georgia State, which knocked off an Arlington team that came into the game tied for second with Troy in the Sun Belt.
A big reason for the 64-59 win, which moved GSU to 7-8 in league play (Arlington's now 10-4), was the work done on the defensive end on Rebekah VanDijk. The junior started the day second in the conference at 16.2 points, but was held to eight points and attempted only five shots.
GSU has done a fine job on the 6-5 center the last three times the teams have met. In two games last season, VanDijk scored a total of 17 points, and in the three contests shot just 30%.
Meanwhile, the combination of Jada Lewis and Makeba Ponder led the hosts on Saturday. Lewis, a freshman guard from nearby McEachern High School, scored 21 points and Ponder continued to add to her career three-point total (she's second in school history to Kendra Long) knocking down six threes for 20 points of her own.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)