SANDESTIN, Fla. – A quick start and a strong finish helped lead Georgia State to a 4½-½ victory over the University of South Alabama men's golf team Wednesday in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championship at the Sandestin Golf Resort Raven Course.

The Panthers — the top seed in the match-play segment of the tournament — were ahead in all five matches before the turn, and after taking a 1-0 lead closed out three straight matches on the 16th hole to move on to the championship match against No. 2 seed Troy, a 4-1 winner over third-seeded Arkansas State in the other semifinal.

"After finishing yesterday's round and making it into the semifinals of the match-play bracket the guys were really excited," Jaguar head coach Ben Hannan observed.  "It's such a different format than we are accustomed to playing.  It was very much a team-building event, the guys enjoyed the competition.

"Georgia State opened well at the start and we got behind early.  We were able to fight back through the middle part of the round to pull even in some matches and 1 down in others with five to six holes remaining.  Three of the matches could have swung one way or the other, but they just made putts coming in had one hole-out for an eagle to ultimately secure the victory and close us out."

Jason Mendel earned the Jags' half point with a match against Nick Budd that was all square after the completion of 16 holes.  The sophomore dropped the first two holes, but rebounded to claim Nos. 3 and 4 to get back to even.  Budd went ahead with a win on the sixth, holding that lead until Mendel took the 12th, with the two splitting the next two holes as well.

Brooks Rabren followed in the second pairing, and was 2 up through five after taking two straight holes from Maximilian Herrmann.  But the winner of medalist honors in stroke play secured back-to-back holes at Nos. 6 and 7, and after claiming the ninth he wouldn't trail again; Rabren cut his deficit in half with a win on the 13th, but Herrmann answered by earning the next three holes to close the 4 & 2 victory on No. 16.

Herrmann's twin Alexander built a 4 up advantage over Peter Staalbo through seven holes — highlighted by wins on Nos. 2, 3 and 4 — before the sophomore was able to answer.  Beginning on No. 8, Staalbo claimed four consecutive holes to square the match, remaining that way until Herrmann took the 14th with a 30-foot birdie putt.  He followed by holing out from 60 yards for an eagle, then secured a 3 & 2 win on No. 16 by sinking a birdie putt from 15 feet.

Daniel Jansen also fell 3 & 2 in the fourth match to Nathan Mallonee with the latter never trailing after a victory on No. 2, while J.J. Grey took three of the first four holes from Drew Cooke and led by a margin of at least two the rest of the way after Cooke won Nos. 5 and 8.  Grey claimed three straight holes starting on the 11th to wrap up the victory.

Troy earned a 3-2 victory over the Panthers in the finals, claiming the league's automatic berth to an NCAA Regional.

In stroke play, the Jaguars recorded an 862 54-hole total to finish fourth among the 11 teams in the field and move on to match play.  That included a final-round even-par 284 group score after entering the day in seventh place six strokes out of the top four.

"Going into the tournament our goal was to give ourselves an opportunity," explained Hannan.  "We improved every round, and I thought the final round showed a tremendous amount about this group and their desire to compete.  I was very pleased and proud of the group and their effort, they showed some resilience and toughness throughout the week.  We're young and although we didn't get the result we wanted, today was another learning experience that will only help this team moving forward."

Jansen was the only individual in the lineup this week who completed his eligibility and will graduate at the end of the semester.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

—USA—

Sun Belt Conference Championship
Sandestin Golf Resort Raven Course, Sandestin, Fla.
Par 71, 6,887 yards
Semifinal Match: Georgia State def. South Alabama, 4½-½ 
No. 1: Jason Mendel (USA) vs. Nick Budd (GSU), A/S
No. 2: Maximilian Herrmann (GSU) def. Brooks Rabren (USA), 4 & 2
No. 3: Alexander Herrmann (GSU) def. Peter Staalbo (USA), 3 & 2
No. 4: Nathan Mallonee (GSU) def. Daniel Jansen (USA), 3 & 2
No. 5: J.J. Grey (GSU) def. Drew Cooke (USA), 6 & 5