Troy Edges Nicholls State at buzzer 65-64
THIBODAUX, La. (AP) Musa Abdul-Aleem poured in 22 points, including the game-winning buzzer beater, to lead Troy to a 65-64 comeback win over Nicholls State on Sunday.
Trailing 41-27 in the second half, Troy (5-4) caught up with a 16-2 run that included back-to-back 3-pointers from Abdul-Aleem, and later took its first lead since before the break on a 5-0 spurt fueled by Kelton Ford to make it 51-47 with 6:20 to play. The final 3 1/2 minutes featured eight lead changes, with Abdul-Aleem missing a layup in the final seconds but getting the rebound and putting it up again as time expired for the win.
Kevin Thomas and Wesley Person Jr. added 10 points apiece for the Trojans, who marked the 65-year-old program's 1,000th win with the victory. Abdul-Aleem also had 10 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season.
Amin Torres led Nicholls State (2-7) with 16 points.
----------
Harrow's 27 leads Georgia State past Southern Miss 68-55
ATLANTA (AP) Ryan Harrow scored 19 of his 27 points in the first half and R.J. Hunter had 10 of his 13 in the second half to lead Georgia State to a 68-55 win over Southern Miss on Sunday.
The Panthers (7-3) took a 38-29 lead at the half and held the Golden Eagles (5-5) to 26 percent shooting (7 of 27) in the second half while forcing 22 turnovers.
Chip Armelin had 16 points and Rasham Suarez 12 for Southern Miss, which went 12 of 30 from 3-point range and 7 of 19 inside the arc. Armelin and Suarez both had four treys.
Harrow had four 3-pointers in the first 11:26 to give the Panthers a 20-15 lead and his fifth trey made it 32-18 at the 5:53 mark.
Armelin scored five points during the Golden Eagles' 9-0 run spanning halftime to get within 38-33 but Georgia State answered with a 15-2 run.
----------
Green Bay beats UALR in Holiday Hoops opener, 66-46
LAS VEGAS (AP) Jordan Fouse scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Alfonzo McKinnie added 16 point with 10 boards to help Green Bay roll to a 66-46 victory over UALR in the opening round of the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic on Sunday.
Fouse was 6 of 8 from the floor and had nine rebounds. McKinnie was 7-of-9 shooting while Carrington Love chipped in 13 points and five assists, and Keifer Sykes dished out six assists and had eight rebounds for the Phoenix.
Green Bay (9-2) has won four-straight and eight of its past nine games, with the defense holding opponents under 55 points in four of the games during the streak.
Roger Woods scored 18 points with eight rebounds, and James Reid had 14 points and six boards to lead UALR (4-5), which shot just 18 of 52 for 34.6 percent from the floor.
----------
Alabama Slides by Appalachian State
Tuscaloosa, AL (SportsNetwork.com) - Michael Kessens registered a double- double with 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Alabama Crimson Tide captured a thrilling 60-59 win over the Mountaineers of Appalachian State in non- conference action at Coleman Coliseum.
Also scoring in double figures for the Crimson Tide (8-3), as they secured their second straight win and the third in the last four outings, were Levi Randolph and Ricky Tarrant with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
The Mountaineers (3-6), losers of four straight, were paced by Tommy Spagnolo who tallied a game-high 18 points and also cleared 10 boards, while Dustin Clarke and Frank Eaves accounted for 13 points apiece, although the latter was also charged with seven turnovers without the benefit of a single assist.
App led by as many as nine points less than eight minutes into the meeting, but due to only 2-of-12 shooting behind the 3-point line in the first half the team managed to enter intermission ahead by a mere two points, 29-27. Alabama knocked down a total of just nine field goals in the period.
The second half saw the Crimson Tide battle back, shooting 14-of-28 from the floor in order to fight off an eight-point deficit in the frame and hold on for the one-point victory after a series of missed opportunities by the Mountaineers.
The Tide, which shot only 4-of-17 beyond the arc on the night, survived in part due to a 10-4 scoring advantage at the charity stripe.
----------
Samford beats UL Monroe 64-50
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Brandon Roberts came off the bench to score 12 points and Samford used a second-half surge to beat UL Monroe 64-50 on Sunday.
Michael Bradley scored 11 points and Christen Cunningham added 10 and three steals for the Bulldogs (5-8). Tyler Hood had five assists, Marcus Johnson had four, and Samford used 16 assists in scoring 24 of 54 field goal attempts.
The Warhawks led 15-8 on 3-pointer by Jamaal Samuel, but the Bulldogs used a 13-2 run to take a 21-17 lead after a layup by Roberts. Three Bulldogs hit 3s in the final 3:48 to build Samford's 32-28 halftime lead.
The Warhawks stayed close in the second half and Nick Coppola tied it at 43 with a 3-pointer at 12:33. Samford replied with a 19-3 run in which Bradley scored seven.
Nick Coppola led UL Monroe (6-5) with 15 points and Samuel had 13.