The Sports Inquirer

Release from Georgia State Athletics:

Despite 21 points from junior R.J. Hunter, Georgia State fell to No. 14 Iowa State on Monday night 81-58 at Hilton Coliseum in the Panthers first game of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.

The Cyclones held the Panthers to just 39.1 percent shooting and 5-of-19 from 3-point range, forcing the Panthers into an uncharacteristic 15 turnovers.

After earlier in the day being named to the John R. Wooden Watch List as one of the top 50 players in the country, Hunter managed to hit just 8-of-20 from the floor and 4-of-11 from 3-point range with most of his shots being contested by one if not two Cyclone defenders.

Georgia State dropped to 1-1 on the young season, while Iowa State, whom many have predicted could reach the Final Four, improved to 2-0.

“This is a tough loss,” head coach Ron Hunter said after the game. “However, I know that this team will rebound from one loss in November and move on. We have a lot of games to play and will not let one game define our season.

“I thought that Iowa State did a great job of taking us out of our rhythm. They are a very good team and I expect them to have a very good season.”

Senior Ryan Harrow added 12 points and five assists for the Panthers, while junior Markus Crider scored 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds.

All five Iowa State starters scored in double figures, led by Monte Morris who finished with 19 points, nine assists and five rebounds, knocking down 7-of-9 field goals.

Georges Niang, who was also named to the Wooden Watch List earlier in the day, added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

After trailing by as many as six early, Hunter knocked down this second 3-pointer of the game followed by a Crider dunk to give Georgia State a 21-20 lead with 7:42 to play in the opening half. Unfortunately, that was the Panthers only lead of the game.

Iowa State recaptured the lead and went into the half with a 35-29 lead. The six point difference was seen at the free throw line where the Cyclones were 7-of-11, while Georgia State was just 1-of-3. The Panthers finished the game just 3-of-5 from the line.

The Cyclones opened the second half with a 7-0 run to build a 42-29 lead with 18:00 to play.

A Hunter 3-pointer with 14:35 to play cut the lead to 49-40, but Iowa State responded with a 19-4 run to take a 68-44 lead with8:17 to play and basically put the game out of reach.

Georgia State dropped to 3-7 against ranked opponents in the last 15 years and lost just its third road game over the last 15 contests dating back to last season.

Junior T.J. Shipes came off the bench to score six points and pull down seven rebounds before being poked in the eye before the half and being limited in the second half.

Naz Long added 17 points for Iowa State, knocking down five of the Cyclones’ eight 3-pointers.