App State women’s basketball welcomed Georgia State University to the Holmes Convocation Center Saturday and won an overtime thriller 73-67.
The game got off to a solid start, as junior guard Daisia Mitchell found sophomore forward Feryal Defne Atli down in the paint for an easy layup.
However, the Panthers responded with one of their own as guard Morgan Robinson Nwagwu got to the rack for a bucket of their own. Mitchell connected on another bucket driving to the glass and followed that up with a free throw just seconds later.
Mitchell would continue to be a force of the Mountaineer offense as she found senior guard Emily Hege to reclaim the lead for the Black and Gold.
The Mountaineers got hot, draining back-to-back 3-pointers from senior forward Elena Pericic and Hege, sparking a 10-0 run.
Georgia State answered back with a quick 7-0 run of their own.
Both teams traded buckets to start the second quarter, keeping it a one-possession game in the Black and Gold’s favor.
With under four minutes to go in the second quarter, the Mountaineers stretched their lead to 4 points off of a layup from Mitchell, who would push the lead further on a made free throw. Georgia State then drained a 3-pointer to close out the half and make it a one score game.
The second half got off to a roaring start for the Mountaineers as they began to play physical around the rim, getting tough buckets and foul calls, increasing the lead to 7.
The Black and Gold went on a 16-0 run in the third quarter and began to distance themselves from Georgia State. The Mountaineers would finish the third quarter leading by 14.
Georgia State started the fourth quarter battling back from a 14-point deficit, capitalizing on fouls and missed shots from the Black and Gold to drag themselves back into the game.
As time wound down the Panthers rose to the occasion and made it a two-possession game with under six minutes to go.
The Panthers drained a 3-pointer to silence the App State crowd. They continued to kick the Mountaineers while they were down, as they reclaimed the lead with under four minutes to go.
The Black and Gold began to collect themselves and take a one possession lead with two minutes to go from an Alti layup. The Panthers then tied it back up but a critical foul gave the Mountaineers some much needed free throws to reclaim the lead.
A foul on the other end allowed Georgia State to take the lead back with 37 seconds remaining. Perecic drained a game tying 3-pointer with 23 seconds remaining. The game remained tied and went to overtime.
Mitchell scored the first bucket of overtime to give the Mountaineers the lead.
Freshman forward Addie Biel got fouled and drained both free throws to make it a two possession game. The Panthers responded with two free throws of their own, but Emma Smith drained a 3-pointer to push the Black and Gold ahead and an and-1 from Mitchell gave the Mountaineers a one possession lead with 25 seconds remaining.
The Black and Gold extended the lead to 5 off of two free throws from graduate student guard Jada Burton. This put the game on ice, and the Mountaineers won 73-67.
The Mountaineers will travel to Conway, South Carolina to play Coastal Carolina University Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m., and it will be streamed on ESPN+.
