Hunter leads Georgia State over Green Bay 72-48
ATLANTA (AP) R.J. Hunter scored 26 points and Georgia State rolled over Green Bay 72-48 on Thursday night in a matchup between two of the nation's better midmajor teams.
Ryan Harrow added 17 points and T.J. Shipes had his first double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Panthers (6-2), who have won five consecutive games. Hunter made only 4 of 13 3-point attempts but hit 10 of 12 free-throw tries.
Keifer Sykes, like Hunter, named to the Naismith Award Preseason Watch List this week, led the Phoenix with 16 points. The Phoenix (5-2), who came in with their best start since the 1991-92 season, saw their four-game winning streak end.
Georgia State shot 53.1 percent to Green Bay's 28.8.
The Panthers had a double-digit lead with 13:39 left in the first half and led 42-18 at the break. The lead reached 31 points with 9:34 left in the game.
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Appalachian State pushes past Jacksonville 67-56
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) Frank Eaves scored 19 points, Jake Babic added 13 and Appalachian State pushed past Jacksonville 67-56 on Thursday night.
Chris Burgess and Dustin Clarke each chipped in 10 points for the Mountaineers (3-2), who shot 44.2 percent from the field and hit nine 3-pointers in rout to their third straight win. Eaves did most of his damage from the line, going 11 of 14 on free throws.
Tab Hamilton hit a 3-pointer to ignite a late 10-2 run in the first half, pushing Appalachian State's lead to 10 at the break. Jacksonville (2-7) chipped away to pull within three after Andris Misters' free throws with 4:10 left, but Clarke and Babic each responded with 3-pointers to halt the rally.
Misters led the Dolphins with 18 points, Tim Gill contributed 11 and Kori Babineaux had nine. Jacksonville was held to 17-of-45 shooting overall (37.8 percent).
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Missouri State sneaks by UALR, 73-68
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) Austin Ruder scored 23 points, including hitting 7 of 10 from 3-point range, to lead Missouri State to a 73-68 win over UALR on Thursday night.
With the score tied at 61 with 3:48 remaining, Missouri State scored six straight points over the next minute and a half to grab control of the game. UALR would not get within four for the rest of the night.
Marcus Marshall added 18 points and Dorrian Williams finished with 10 for the Bears (4-3).
Mareik Isom led UALR with 14 points, hitting 4 of 5 from the field in just 15 minutes off the bench. James White finished with 13 points and Ben Dillard added 11 for the Trojans (4-2).
Both teams shot the ball well, each finishing at 47 percent from the field and over 40 percent from 3-point range.