Little Rock comeback tops Texas State in overtime, 77-74
SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP) Kemy Osse drilled a pair of 3-pointers and Mareik Isom added a third and Little Rock held off Texas State in overtime to post a 77-74 Sun Belt Conference victory Thursday night.
Josh Hagins' jumper with 19 seconds in regulation pulled Little Rock (16-2, 6-1 Sun Belt) even at 59-59 and forced the overtime period.
Ethan Montalvo scored 15 first-half points to spark Texas State to a 38-28 advantage.
Hagins led a second-half comeback by Little Rock, scoring 10 of his team-high 19 in the final 20 minutes of regulation.
Hagins was 5 of 10 from the floor and 8 for 8 from the line. Isom scored 14 points off the Little Rock bench and Osse and Lis Shoshi each added 13 points.
Montalvo hit 5 of 10 from beyond the arc and finished with 28 points to lead Texas State (8-7, 2-4). Kavin Gilder-Tilbury finished with 15 points.
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Eubanks paces UT Arlington over Arkansas State 91-64
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Kennedy Eubanks had career highs of 23 points and 11 rebounds in his first start for UT Arlington in its 91-59 victory over Arkansas State on Thursday night.
Eubanks, a senior who sat out last year after transferring from Tennessee State, was 7 of 14 from the floor, including 4 of 9 on 3-pointers. Erick Neal scored 19 points, hitting 5 of 8 3-point tries. Jorge Bilbao (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Kaelon Wilson (13, 10) turned in double-doubles, and Jalen Jones scored 14 points. The Mavericks were 15 of 36 from the beyond the arc and had 51 rebounds.
UT Arlington (14-3, 5-1 Sun Belt) went on runs of 14-0 and 15-0 and led 41-22 at halftime with the Red Wolves going without a field goal for over nine minutes. An 18-4 run in the second half gave the Mavericks their largest lead of 36.
Devin Carter made five 3-pointers and scored a career-high 34 points to lead the Red Wolves (9-9, 5-2).
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Appalachian State starts fast, beats Georgia State 76-67
BOONE, N.C. (AP) Frank Eaves had 25 points and Ronshad Shabazz added 20 as Appalachian State took an early lead and held off Georgia State 76-67 on Thursday night.
Eaves, who was 5 of 12 from beyond the arc, has now scored over 1,000 career points. Shabazz nailed 3 of 5 from long range as the Mountaineers made 12 of 26 treys. Chris Burgess added 12 points for Appalachian State (5-13, 3-4 Sun Belt Conference), which has won three of its last four games. The Mountaineers had dropped nine consecutive games before beating Texas State 76-56 on January 9.
Appalachian State sprinted to a 38-22 halftime advantage. Georgia State, which won the second period 45-38, closed the gap to 66-57 with 2:09 left but could get no closer.
Isaiah Dennis had 18 points and Jeff Thomas added 17 for Georgia State (12-5, 5-3), which has lost two of its last three games.
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UL Lafayette cruises to 92-82 win over South Alabama
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) Kasey Shepherd drained six 3-pointers and scored 27 points to lead UL Lafayette to a 92-82 win over South Alabama on Thursday night.
Taking a two-point advantage into the break, UL Lafayette (8-8, 4-3 Sun Belt) broke away early in the second half with a 14-2 run that included four free throws and a 3-pointer from Shepherd to make it 60-46 with 16:50 to play. South Alabama (7-11, 2-5), which led by as many as seven in the first half, closed out the game with a 10-2 burst to trim the final deficit.
Hayward Register contributed 13 points, Bryce Washington added 12 and Shawn Long had 10 for the Ragin' Cajuns, who went 34 of 47 from the foul line. Jay Wright and Johnathan Stove had 10 points apiece.
Ken Williams led the Jaguars with 16 points, Shaq Calhoun added 13, and Nick Stover and Barrington Stevens had 12 each.
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UL Monroe pulls away from Troy 85-74
MONROE, La. (AP) Majok Deng tied a career-high with 33 points on 12-for-20 shooting to lead UL Monroe past Troy for an 85-74 win Thursday night.
Deng hit 4 of 9 from long range and went 5 for 7 from the line to help UL Monroe (7-11, 3-4 Sun Belt) remain undefeated on its home court this season. Justin Roberson went 11 of 14 from the field for 26 points and Nick Coppola added 14 for the Warhawks, who shot 59 percent from the field.
UL Monroe edged into the lead for good on Coppola's jumper, which made it 29-28 and sparked a 13-2 run into the break. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Coppola early in the second half stretched the advantage to 49-34 and the margin stayed in double figures the rest of the way.
Jeremy Hollimon scored 26 for Troy (6-12, 1-6). Jordon Varnado and Shawn Hopkins added 11 each and John Walton III had 10.