Trey Hampton led the way with 14 points as Georgia State Men’s basketball team used a balanced scoring attack to defeat South Carolina State, 67-52, in the ESPN Bracketbusters Saturday at the Georgia State Sports Arena.
Meanwhile last Tuesday, the Panthers edged conference rival James Madison, 77-72, as Joe Dukes put on a show with a 25-point performance.
In a game that featured 17 ties and seven lead changes, neither team led by more than five points in the second half. With the Panthers up 74-72, Dukes made one of two free throws, but then came up with a steal on the defensive end with 14 seconds left and hit another free throw for a 76-72 lead with only 10 seconds left. Dukes’ strong finish sealed a hard-earned Panther victory.
“Joe showed us great leadership tonight,” said Georgia State head coach Rod Barnes after the game. “He has been struggling with a back injury, and we thought about sitting him out. He insisted on playing, and he really came through for us.”
Trey Hampton added 19 points and seven rebounds, while James Madison’s transfer from Texas A&M, Denzel Bowles, led all scorers with 34 points.
“He’s a great offensive player,” Barnes said of Bowles. “He’s the most impressive low post player we’ve seen this year. If he gets the ball down low, you can’t stop him. And he made free throws.”
While Bowles proved to be a handful for Hampton and Ousman Krubally on the defensive end, both players responded well on the offensive side. Hampton’s 19 points was the second-best total of his career while Krubally reached double figures for the fourth straight game with 11 points and six rebounds.
Jihad Ali was the fourth Panther in double figures with 13 points and three steals.
Freshman James Vincent chipped in four points, six rebounds and three blocks.
The balanced scoring continued on Saturday against South Carolina State Bulldogs, as three other Panthers followed Hampton with double figures in scoring. Trae Goldston had 13 points, Ousman Krubally scored 12, while Joe Dukes had a solid all-around performance with 10 points, six assists and four steals. Hampton and Krubally also combined for 15 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass.
“It was a good team effort,” said Barnes after the game. “We played with intensity, we shared the basketball, and we defended well. We were able to play a lot of guys, and everyone contributed.
“This was a different kind of game because they are a smaller team but very quick and aggressive. Our kids did a good job of adjusting.”
The game was close for the first 15 minutes, but the Panthers ended the first half with an 18-5 run to take a 34-23 lead into the locker room. Georgia State used stifling defense to maintain a double-digit lead for the entire second half.
For the game, the Panthers forced 19 turnovers and held South Carolina State to 36 percent shooting from the field.
Brandon Smalls led the Bulldogs with 14 points while Carrio Bennett added 10 points.
The Panthers remain in eighth place in the CAA and host their final home game Tuesday against Old Dominion, with the Senior Night tipping off at 7 p.m. at the Georgia State Sports Arena.
Men’s basketball wins two games in a row
Published: Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Updated: Wednesday, February 24, 2010
 "Photo: N/A")
Trey Hampton lead the team with 14 points by the end of Saturday’s game against South Carolina State, which Georgia State won with a final of 67-52.
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