NEW ORLEANS (AP) R.J. Hunter had 32 points and eight steals and Georgia State beat UL Lafayette 83-79 on Saturday to advance to the Sun Belt Conference tournament championship game for the second consecutive season.

Georgia State lost in overtime against UL Lafayette in the 2014 SBC title game.

Top-seeded Georgia State (23-9) will play the winner of Saturday's other semifinal game, between UL Monroe and Georgia Southern, on Sunday.

Georgia State's pressure defense caused problems for UL Lafayette. The Panthers forced 21 turnovers, 17 off of steals.

The Panthers ended the first half on a 19-6 run, capped by Isaiah Dennis' steal and coast-to-coast dunk just before the halftime buzzer for a 44-27 lead.

Fourth-seeded UL Lafayette (20-13) trailed by as many as 24 points, but pulled within 72-63 on Steven Wronkoski's reverse layup with 2:30 left. Georgia State responded with an 8-3 run and held on down the stretch.

Devonta Walker led the Ragin' Cajuns with 17 points.