Bombs Away: Leavitt explodes for 35 in win over Panthers

Toshua Leavitt already holds the record.

The senior guard became the all-time Sun Belt leader for career 3-pointers made weeks ago, hitting seven treys in a 92-39 home win over St. Thomas on Dec. 4, 2018. Now, she’s trying to make sure it stays that way.

Leavitt drained a season-high nine triples Saturday, scorching the nets with a career-high 35 points in a 69-60 victory at Georgia State.

The Nixa, Mo. native canned the opening basket of the contest, splashing in her first three off a dime from junior guard Brooke Holle. Leavitt missed her next shot as Georgia State took a 6-5 lead. But the senior dropped in another look from outside on a feed from junior guard Bailey Holle to pull back ahead with 4:04 left in the quarter, and the Bobcats remained in front for the rest of the way.

After trailing 15-11 in the first, the Panthers came roaring back in the second, cutting the lead down to two by halftime. But Leavitt hit two more 3-balls at the end of the half to keep Georgia State in the backseat.

Leavitt’s teammates got more involved in the third quarter. Brooke Holle nailed a long-range shot to begin the second half. Senior forward Zandra Emanuel scored all six of her points in the period. Junior and sophomore forwards Jazza Johns and Jayla Johnson both made jumpers. Still, the maroon and gold couldn’t quite pull away, leading 52-43 heading into the fourth.

The Panthers nearly made a comeback. Leavitt missed her first two 3s as Georgia State came back within two with 7:03 remaining in the game. The third time was the charm for the guard, though, as Leavitt cashed in from deep on the next possession and again shortly after for her eighth and ninth 3-pointers of the afternoon, bringing Texas State back to safety. The Bobcats closed out the game and left Atlanta with a 69-60 win.

Leavitt lead the team with 35 points on 9-14 shooting from behind the arc to go along with four assists. She was followed by Brooke Holle, who recorded her fourth career double-double with 14 points, six assists and a personal-best 15 rebounds.

"We played our tails off, we coached our tails off," head coach Zenarae Antoine said. "Georgia State is a tough team and a tough matchup for us with their size. This conference is going to provide us with a new challenge night in and night out. I am proud of our team for the fight they showed today."

Texas State (7-7, 2-0 Sun Belt) will play in its first conference home game on Thursday when the team hosts Coastal Carolina (8-5, 0-2) inside Strahan Arena at 7 p.m.