Georgia State advanced out of the first round in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament for the fourth time in six tries, defeating UNC-Wilmington 58-52 today in Richmond.
The Panthers starting five was the story today, contributing 47 points on 48.6 percent shooting from the field. Josh Micheaux led the way with 14 points, and Eric Buckner just missed a double-double with 12 points, eight boards and two blocks. Marques Johnson had a fantastic day running the offense with seven assists and only one turnover in 31 minutes.
GSU interim coach Paul Graham ran 11 players at the Seahawks, which seemed to take its toll as UNCW only shot 29.5 percent for the game. The Panthers enjoyed a strong team rebounding game collecting 42 boards and handled the ball well with 18 assists on their 23 made baskets. 5 players combined for 8 blocks as well setting the tone for a well rounded defensive effort.
Coach Graham commented after the game:
"It's about these guys." They worked hard all week and stayed focus, and our team played really well. Basketball is a team game, and we got contributions from everyone. James Fields and Josh Micheaux did a great job defensively. [UNCW Guard Chad] Tomko still got his 19 points, but didn't get a lot of open looks and he wasn't able to get his teammates involved."
Georgia State will face top seed and No. 25 ranked George Mason for the second time in seven days on Saturday at noon. The game will be televised on CSS.