ATLANTA—Joe Dukes scored 17 points and Trey Hampton added a
double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds as Georgia State overcame a
12-point second-half deficit to earn a 79-74 victory over UNC Wilmington
Wednesday at the GSU Sports Arena.

The win snapped a five-game skid for the Panthers (9-11, 3-5 CAA),
while UNCW (6-13, 2-6 CAA) dropped its fifth straight, despite having
four players in double figures, led by Johnny Wolf with 19 points and
Chad Tomko with 18.

Trailing 43-31 early in the second half, Georgia State turned up its
defensive intensity to spark a 17-6 run, capped by Dante Curry’s
three-pointer that pulled the Panthers within one point at 49-48 with
12:26 to play.

Tomko answered with a three to push UNCW’s advantage back to four.
Jihad Ali made a driving layup for the Panthers, and after a Seahawk
turnover, Dukes layup tied the game at 52-all with 11:24 to go, and from
there, GSU never trailed again.

With the score still tied at 52, Dukes stole the ball in the backcourt
and gave the Panthers a lead they would not relinquish.

Georgia State pushed its lead up to eight points and led 73-65 with
2:28 to go after a pair of free throws by Curry, but the Seahawks
quickly scored six straight on back-to-back threes with Ahmad Grant and
Johnny Wolf, pulling within 73-71 with 1:29 to play.

After a GSU turnover, UNCW had a chance to tie the game, but John
Fields missed a pair of free throws with 40 seconds left. Hampton
rebounded and sank one of two free throws. After he missed the second,
GSU’s James Fields was fouled on the scramble for the rebound and made
one free throw to push the Panthers’ lead to four points. From there,
Grant and Tomko missed three-point tries for UNCW, and Georgia State
sank four more foul shots to seal the win.

“It was a much-needed win, probably even more so for the coach than
for the players,” said GSU head coach Rod Barnes. “I’m really
proud of the effort our guys played with. The second half was probably
the most energy and most enthusiasm we’ve played with since playing
Georgia Southern before Christmas. Our guys really responded to the
change we made at halftime to press and push the ball up the floor.

“UNCW is a very good team with guys who can really score, but our
kids did what it took to win tonight. Our guys really responded to the
change we made at halftime to press and push the ball up the floor. The
pressure made us more aggressive and it slowed them (UNCW) down, got
them back on their heels and gave us an opportunity to get some
steals.”

The Panthers shot 51 percent from the field, their best performance in
a CAA game this season and committed just 11 turnovers while forcing 17
UNCW miscues.

With Barnes looking for a spark, Dukes came off the bench rather than
starting and responded with a strong all-around effort. He scored his 17
points on 7-for-11 shooting and also contributed four rebounds, four
assists and four steals.

Trae Goldston scored 12 points for the Panthers, and with GSU missing
two of its top four post players (Ousman Krubally, James Vincent) due to
illness, Kevin Lott came off the bench to score a season-high 10
points.

Georgia State now faces its next three games on the road, beginning
Saturday at Delaware. The 4 p.m. contest will be regionally televised on
CSS.