ATLANTA – Freshmen forwards Treasure Johnson and Brittany Blackwell combined for 27 points to lead UNCW to a 52-42 victory over Georgia State in Colonial Athletic Association women’s basketball action Thursday evening at the GSU Sports Arena.

The Seahawks improved to 16-9 overall while evening their league mark at 7-7 as they won their fifth straight. The Panthers fell to 7-18 on the season and 4-10

Johnson and Blackwell were the only UNCW players to reach double figures in scoring as Johnson posted a game-high 14 points while Blackwell chipped in 13. Junior forward Sahsha Taylor added nine points, all of which came in the second half. Blackwell also grabbed a game-best 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season while sophomore guard Candace Walker pulled down nine boards as the Seahawks held a 40-37 edge on the glass.

Sophomore forward Shay Rawls was the lone Georgia State player in double figures with 10 points as the Panthers shot just 28.6 percent from the floor in the contest. Sophomore forward Danyiell McKeller added eight points and 10 rebounds while junior forward Brittany Hollins, the team’s leading scorer, was limited to just two points on 1-of-10 shooting.

In the first half, UNCW grabbed an early 6-2 lead before Georgia State responded with six unanswered points to spark an 11-2 run over a four-minute span that gave the Panthers a 13-8 lead with 12:05 remaining.

The Seahawks closed out the half strong, scoring 14 of the final 19 points of the frame to take a 22-18 lead into the locker room. Both sides struggled to find their rhythm from the floor in the first half as the Seahawks shot 29.0 percent while the Panthers were 28.0 percent from the field. The two teams also combined for 31 turnovers in the opening frame.

UNCW opened the second half on a 10-4 run to build a 32-22 cushion with 13:29 remaining. Georgia State scored six straight points to pull within four, 32-28.

A 9-3 UNCW spurt pushed the Seahawks lead back to double digits, 42-31 with 5:41 left on the clock. Junior guard Shade Smith gave UNCW its biggest lead of the game, 46-33, on a lay up with 1:33 to play before GeorgiaState scored six of the next seven points to make it a 47-39 with just over a minute left in regulation. The Seahawks scored five of the final eight points to determine the final margin.

UNCW connected on 40.9 percent of its shots in the second half while Georgia State hit 29.2 percent of its attempts in the final stanza.

Both teams return to action Sunday in conference action at 2 p.m. UNCW hosts William & Mary while Georgia State is at Northeastern.

Notes:  UNCW’s five-game conference win streak is the third longest in Ann Hancock’s tenure and the longest since a seven-game league winning stretch during the 2002-03 season … The win also gives the Seahawks their second-highest win total of an Ann Hancock coached squad, equaling the total of the 2001-02 squad … UNCW was held without a three-pointer for just the second time this season …. Johnson reached double figures for the first time in nine games … The Seahawks enjoyed a 26-14 edge in points in the paint … Blackwell and Walker both swiped a game-best four steals … Blackwell has now pulled down nine or more rebounds in 14 contests this season.