Marshall defeats Georgia St 84-80

Marshall Edges Georgia State in Thrilling Comeback Victory at Home

In a nail-biting conference matchup, the Marshall Thundering Herd overcame a two-point halftime deficit to defeat the visiting Georgia State Panthers 84-80 at the Cam Henderson Center on Thursday night.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading baskets and neither able to gain a clear advantage until the final minutes. The Panthers took an early lead but struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 45% from three-point range for the half. Meanwhile, Marshall's Jalen Speer was on fire, scoring 15 points in the first half and setting the tone for his dominant performance.

Trailing by two at halftime, Georgia State looked to make adjustments to get back in the game. However, Marshall's defense stiffened, holding the Panthers to just 35% shooting in the second half. Speer continued to wreak havoc on the court, scoring 11 points in the third quarter and extending his team's lead.

Despite trailing by as many as 13 with five minutes remaining, Georgia State staged a late rally, closing the gap to just two points with under a minute left. However, Marshall responded with a clutch basket from Speer, and the Thundering Herd held on for the four-point victory.

Speer finished the game with an impressive stat line: 26 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds. The senior guard was virtually unstoppable at times, shooting 56.2% from the field and connecting on six of nine three-point attempts.

For Georgia State, Jelani Hamilton led the way with 15 points, but the Panthers struggled to find consistency on offense throughout the game. Despite outrebounding Marshall by four boards, the Panthers were unable to overcome their struggles from beyond the arc.

The win marked a significant bounce-back for Marshall, which had suffered an upset loss earlier in the week. The Thundering Herd's victory puts them firmly back in the mix in the conference standings and sets up a crucial matchup next week against another top-ranked team.

Game Stats:

* Marshall (HOME):

+ Field Goals: 29/59 (49.0%)

+ Points: 84

* Georgia State (AWAY):

+ Field Goals: 27/62 (44.0%)

+ Points: 80