ATLANTA, Ga. – The Coastal Carolina women's basketball team mounted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter but fell short of earning its first Sun Belt Conference victory of the season as Georgia State held on for a 73-68 victory on Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta, Ga.
 
Coastal (3-12, 0-11) trailed by as many as 17 points in the final quarter before closing the gap in the closing minutes of action.  Georgia State (11-10, 7-7 SBC) held a 68-51 advantage before the Chants chipped away at the lead with a pressure defense that led to a 17-4 run that that cut the Panthers' lead to just four points at 72-68 with 15 seconds to play.  Deaja Richardson scored 11 of her game-high 21 points during the stretch and capped the run with a three-pointer.
 
Richardson fouled out on the ensuing inbound pass and Georgia State's Joelle Johnson connected on one of two free throws for the final margin.  The Chanticleers did not get a shot off before turning the ball over with just four seconds to play to seal the victory for the Panthers.
 
Coastal came out playing well in the opening quarter, building a 17-11 lead with 3:50 on the clock after a short jumper by Richardson and a three-pointer by Tyra Brown.  Following a three-point basket by Georgia State's Taniyah Worth to cut the Coastal lead to three points, Olivia Smith hit a short jumper and Richardson connected on a pull-up jumper in the lane as Coastal opened a seven-point lead at 21-14 lead with 2:07 to play in the first quarter.
 
Georgia State called a 30-second timeout and came out of the break by scoring nine unanswered points to take a 23-21 advantage on a Deasia Merrill three-pointer with 27 seconds on the clock.  Richardson capped the scoring in the opening quarter with another trey to retake the lead for Coastal at 24-23 at the end of the first quarter.
 
After trading baskets in the opening minutes of the second quarter, Georgia State closed with a big run to open a double-digit lead before halftime.  The Panthers held a 39-35 lead with 3:35 remaining before scoring the final eight points of the second quarter to build a 47-35 cushion heading to the locker room.
 
The teams traded baskets for much of the third quarter as the Chants could pull no closer than nine points as Georgia State maintained a 62-51 lead headed to the fourth quarter.
 
In addition to Richardson's 21 points, junior Aja Blount posted her third consecutive double-double with 17 points and a career-high 19 rebounds.  Brown added 12 points and four assists for the Chants.
 
Worth came off of the bench to lead Georgia State with 16 points, while Taylor Henderson and Hannah Sadler scored 10 points each.
 
Coastal will return home to The HTC Center to close out the regular season as the Chants host Troy on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m. ET and Saturday, Feb. 27, at 4 p.m. ET.  The games will be broadcast live on ESPN+, the Chanticleers Sports Network at 105.5 Hank FM, and online at www.GoCCUsports.com.
 
 
For complete coverage of CCU women's basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWBB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.