Georgia State Falls Short Against Huskies

Caleb Williams February 8, 2026 3 minutes read

The spiral continues for Georgia State after a heartbreaking 75-74 loss to Northern Illinois in their second game of the MAC-SBC Challenge. The Panthers have now lost four straight games and find themselves at 9-16 on the season. Georgia State has also now lost in back-to-back matchups against the Huskies, both at home.

After falling behind in the first half, the Panthers found themselves in the driver’s seat after an Anthony Enoh three-pointer put them ahead for the first time, 21-18. Freshman guard Micah Tucker led the scoring effort and ended the half with eight points, one rebound, and two assists. The Panthers defense faltered near the end of the first half, allowing the Huskies to go on a 10-2 scoring run, capped off with a three-pointer from freshman guard Dylan Ducommun, and making the score 37-35 heading into halftime.

Halftime: Georgia State 37, NIU 35

That was very nearly a great half for GSU…but then they gave up a 10-2 run at the end and what could have been a double-digit lead at the break is reduced to 2

Really balanced scoring. 9 players have played, Micah Tucker leads with 8 points. pic.twitter.com/jzOKW6JdDW

— Brady Weiler (@bradymweiler) February 7, 2026

The second half scoring opened with Jelani Hamilton heading to the free-throw line and making two. Northern Illinois answered with a three-point make by Taj Walters. A slugfest ensued, each team trading makes and misses with neither side stringing together enough offense to pull ahead of the other.

In the final minutes, the Huskies went on a 7-2 scoring run led by Makhai Valentine to push Georgia State toward a loss. Near the end, Georgia State center Christian Beam made two free throws down the stretch, and a missed free throw on the other end gave the Panthers a chance to win it. The rebound by Christian Beam found itself in the hands of Jelani Hamilton, who took the last-second three from 24-feet away. His shot was off the mark and was rebounded by Northern Illinois to seal Georgia State’s fourth straight loss.

Georgia State continues to be a dominant team from the free throw line, sitting at 7th and Jelani Hamilton ranked in the top-20 in all Div. I for free throw percentage. The Panthers are struggling mightily from the three-point line this season, clocking in at 256th for team three-point percentage.

Micah Tucker led the way for the Panthers in the stats sheet, scoring 16 points, two assists, five rebounds and was 8-of-12 from the free throw line.

Back in the Sun Belt, Georgia State will ship up north for a Virginia road trip. They’ll first clash with James Maddison in Harrisonburg on Thursday night before heading to Norfolk for a matinee game with Old Dominion.