The main mission for the Georgia State basketball team in the offseason was to acquire more muscle, with the end game to produce more high-percentage points in the paint and take fewer 3-pointers. Based on the results of the season opener, coach Jonas Hayes hit the mark.
The new-look Panthers – with 12 new players on the roster – had three players with double-doubles and beat Ball State 71-66 in the Sun Belt-MAC Challenge on Monday at the GSU Convocation Center.
Cesare Edwards (6-10 transfer from Missouri State) had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Zarique Nutter (6-7 transfer from Northern Illinois) had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Nick McMullen (6-8 transfer from UNC-Asheville) had 10 points and 13 rebounds. That’s a combined 43 points and 36 rebounds from the muscular trio of newcomers.
“Ball State was as physical a bunch as we expected them to be,” Hayes said. “But like I tell our guys, they were no more physical than we are on ourselves every single day in practice. It was a great way to start our year. This is our identity.”
Toneari Lane, a preseason all-conference selection and the only returning starter, added 14 points, including a 3-pointer to aid the second-half rally.
Ball State was led by Jermahri Hill, who brought a cheering section from Bessemer, Ala., and scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half.
After a sluggish first half, which ended in a 27-27 tie, the Panthers began to pull away and opened an eight-point lead when Nutter converted a three-point play to make it 38-30. The lead grew to as many as 11 on Lane’s twisting reverse layup with 10:34 remaining.
Ball State got as close as three points as late as 1:10, but Edwards made a runner and Nutter knocked down a pair of free throws with 32.4 seconds left to prevent the Cardinals from getting any closer.
Georgia State shot 41.5% -- 56.7% in the second half – and produced 42 points in the paint. The Panthers tried only 11 3-point shots and often showed the discipline needed to pass a 3-pointer and work for a more high-percentage shot.
“I’ve got 1000 percent confidence in these guys,” Hayes said. “I mean, we can go against Goliath. You don’t get to see the war that we have in practice in our live five-on-five. It’s ugly basketball in practice because we’ve got unbelievable competitors.”
McMullen wore the the “Junkyard Chain” to the postgame press conference. It’s a new bauble that is being given to the guy who makes the most game-changing plays.
“You’ve got a guy right there who played 37 minutes and he was gassed,” Hayes said. “But you saw the deflections, the offensive rebounds, the physicality he brought. We could have given it to anybody. We have a talented group and I have full faith in our group that we’re going to keep getting better and better.”
The Panthers will step up in competition on Friday when they travel to play Mississippi State, the first of three SEC teams on the non-conference schedule.
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