Georgia State (2-2) Vs. IUPUI (3-1)
GAME NOTES: The IUPUI Jaguars will try to rebound from their first loss of the season when they battle the Georgia State Panthers for the first-time ever in the final round of the Glenn Wilkes Classic at the Ocean Center.
Four games into the season and the Panthers have been up and down thus far, posting a 2-2 mark. The last time Georgia State was in action the team did not put forth a strong performance, but still grabbed a 57-33 win over Howard.
As for the Jaguars, they saw their perfect start to the season come crashing down with an 80-65 loss to Auburn on Saturday. The loss to the Tigers snapped the team's three-game winning streak, which included road victories over Drake (88-82) and Eastern Illinois (69-66).
Scoring on a consistent basis seems to be the problem for the Panthers early in the season, as the team is posting just 61.2 ppg, behind a weak 37.6 percent shooting effort from the floor. Joe Dukes is currently leading the team with 11.0 ppg, while Trae Goldston is chipping in 10.8 ppg, despite shooting a mediocre 40.0 percent from the field. The Panthers only scored 57 points in their recent matchup against Howard, but surprisingly that was plenty for Georgia State, which won by 14 points. The Panthers only shot 38.3 percent from the floor, but did a solid job on the glass, winning the rebound battle by a 44-27 margin. Trey Hampton led the way with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Dukes added 10 points. As for Goldston, he had a poor showing, as the guard finished with just five points on a 2-of-12 effort from the floor.
The Jaguars are coming off their worst performance of the season offensively, as IUPUI posted just 65 points in a loss to Auburn, The Jags did shoot a solid 46.9 percent from the floor, but the team made just 4-of-18 shots from behind the arc. Robert Glenn, who is leading the team with 21.3 ppg, paced the team in the setback with 21 points and seven rebounds. Jon Avery added 16 points off the bench, while Alex Young chipped in just eight points. As for Leroy Nobles, the team's second best scoring option (17.3 ppg), he dealt with foul trouble and finished with just seven points. Despite the lackluster showing against Auburn, the Jags are still averaging a healthy 74.8 ppg and come into this contest shooting an outstanding 53.3 percent from the floor.
The Jaguars clearly had an off night against Auburn. However, do not expect Nobles to suffer through another bad outing, and mixed with the hot-shooting Glenn, the Jags possess a dangerous duo.
Predicted OutcomeIUPUI 74, Georgia State 61Copyright 2009 Courtesy of The Sports Network.
