Georgia State Defends Home Court Against Southern Miss

Georgia State walked away with the win against Southern Mississippi, beating the Golden Eagles in a close 69-62 game and catapulting the Panthers into a tie for second place in the Sun Belt Conference. Georgia State is now 4-1 in its last five games against conference opponents and has won their last three matchups by seven or more points.

A back-and-forth first half between the two teams, Georgia State would go into halftime down by two. The Panthers would go on a 12-1 scoring run to start the second half. During the run, the Panthers were defensively aggressive, forcing four turnovers (two blocks, two steals) and scoring nine of the 12 points off the mistakes made by Southern Miss.

BLOCKED. LAID UP. AND ONE!! 😤#LightItBlue | #MORE pic.twitter.com/g29k5ce7kc

— GSU Men’s Basketball (@GSU_MBasketball) January 23, 2026

The Panthers found themselves in trouble near the end of the game from coughing up possessions, allowing senior guard Dylan Brumfield and the Golden Eagles to storm back with one minute to go, erasing the double-digit lead and bringing the game within three points.

Brumfield led the scoring for Southern Miss with 13 points and 50% shooting from the field. The senior guard also added five assists and three rebounds to his game total.

Despite the late-game heroics and Georgia State’s 14 turnovers, an 8-2 scoring run in the final minute of the game slammed the door on the Golden Eagle comeback.

A rough shooting night for the Panthers didn’t stop guard Jelani Hamilton from stuffing the stat sheet. Hamilton ended his night with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and one steal. Hamilton also led the team in scoring and free-throw percentage, converting 9-of-10 from the line.

Off the bench, freshman forward Trey Scott III had the most efficient day on the team from the three-point line, drilling 2-of-5 shots and sparking an 8-2 scoring run to close out Georgia State’s win. Scott also finished the game tied for second in total rebounds on the team with seven.

TREY SCOTT! 👌#LightItBlue | #MORE pic.twitter.com/JknGi9chRw

— GSU Men’s Basketball (@GSU_MBasketball) January 23, 2026

Of the 45 rebounds that Georgia State grabbed, 12 of them were offensive rebounds that gifted the Panthers with 17 second-chance points. Additionally, the Panthers capitalized on their 29 free throw attempts and converted 21 of them. The team currently sits 9th in all of Division I for free-throw percentage at 78%.

Georgia State will remain home as they play host to Arkansas State for a Saturday matinee.