With the score tied and only 8.2 seconds left, Georgia State broke the huddle with one goal: Get the ball to Zarique Nutter.
The strategy proved to be sound as the senior transfer from Northern Illinois caught the ball, moved to the basket and drew a foul. The resulting three-point play enabled the Panthers (4-3) to beat Tulsa 74-71 on Wednesday and gain a split of their two games in the Jacksonville Classic at Florida State College.
“We were just trying to put the ball in his hands,” Georgia State coach Jonas Hayes said. “We were going to run a high ball screen and allow him to operate and make decisions.”
Nutter, a 6-foot-6 forward, averaged 15.4 points for Northern Illinois last season. He’s been in many similar last-minute situations, so Hayes did not hesitate to get him the ball.
“We wouldn’t ask him to do anything that he wasn’t capable of doing,” Hayes said. “We’ve got a couple of guys that can do that. It was just his number tonight.”
Georgia State then prevented Tulsa from getting a good look at a final shot. Clash Peters, a long-armed 6-foot-9 freshman, guarded the inbounds pass and got a piece of it. After officials sorted out the loose-ball situation, Tulsa had 0.2 seconds and had no chance to catch and shoot.
Nutter finished with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Cesare Edwards scored 18 points and had a season-high 16 rebounds. Nick McMullen scored 13 and had 10 rebounds, his third consecutive game with double-digit rebounds. Toneari Lane scored 10.
Georgia State dominated the glass, outrebounding Tulsa 46-32 and scoring 36 points in the paint.
“We challenged those guys to get back to playing the type of basketball that we’ve been accustomed to from them and their capabilities to getting on the glass,” Hayes said. “(McMullen and Edwards) did a very good job of it.”
Tulsa (4-4) was led by Keaston Willis with 18 points — including five 3-pointerse — and former GSU standout Dwon Odom had 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Tyshawn Archie scored 12, Braden Carrington scored 11 and Isaiah Barnes scored 10.
The outcome allowed the Panthers to get past Tuesday’s 62-50 loss to Austin Peay.
“We understood where we fell short, and we’re going to continue to grow as a group,” Hayes said. “You’ve got to have short memories to be able to bounce back and define the type of team we want to be and who we are. That’s kind of the message we sent.”
Georgia State used a 10-0 run midway in the first half to take a 22-10 lead. The Panthers led by 11 with five minutes remaining in the half when Tulsa responded and scored nine consecutive points and tied the score 32-32 at halftime.
Georgia State used its inside presence to go ahead by nine points after a Nutter basket made the score 52-43, but Tulsa made three consecutive 3-pointers to tie it.
The Panthers settled down and upped regained the lead at 69-61, only to have Tulsa get close with a pair of 3′s. The Golden Hurricane tied the score with 10.6 seconds remaining when Willis was fouled while attempting a trey and made all three free throws.
“We tried to play with a lot of poise and we were able to do that on a neutral court,” Hayes said. “I thought we had enough togetherness to withstand those runs that they’ve went on, and we were able to respond and escape with the win.”
The Panthers flew to Lexington, Kentucky, after the game and will spend Thanksgiving there before playing the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats at 7 p.m. Friday.
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