Box Score
ATLANTA, GA—Senior guard Brandon Smalls tossed in 14 points, while junior Carrio Bennett chipped in 10 as  South Carolina State dropped a tough 67-52 to Georgia State on Saturday at GSU Sports Arena.

South Carolina State falls to 14-11 overall, meanwhile Georgia State improves to 12-17 overall.

“Georgia State did a tremendous job in our half-court defense,” said SC State head coach Tim Carter. “They did the best job of any team we played of posting up and getting the ball down to their big men.”

 Georgia State jumped out to a five point advantage in the first-half 26-21 off a layup by Trey Hampton at the 4:16 mark. Hampton nailed a pair of free-throws with 1:18 left in the half to extend the lead to nine, 32-23.

Hampton then closed out the half on a monster dunk with 0:07 seconds to give the Panthers an 11 point lead, 34-23.

Georgia State built its biggest lead of the night 17, 60-43 off a 3-pointer by Trae Goldston at the 5:47 mark.  Goldston nailed another 3-pointer with 1:38 left to pull ahead 17, 67-50.

“We just didn't shoot the ball well tonight,” stated Carter. “They out hustle us and did a great job of hitting the boards.”

Georgia State had four players in double-figures with Trey Hampton leading with way with 14 points and seven rebounds, followed by Trae Goldston with 13. Ousman Krubally chipped in 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Joe Dukes added 10 in the victory.

South Carolina State will return to action on Monday when they travel to Norfolk, VA to face the Spartans of Norfolk State in pivotal MEAC showdown. The game will be televised live on ESPNU at 7:30 p.m.

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