Arkansas State rolls in 2nd half, beats Louisiana 88-69
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) Devin Carter and Deven Simms combined for 42 points to lead Arkansas State to an 88-69 win over Louisiana on Monday night to move into a tie atop the Sun Belt Conference.
Carter drilled 6 of 8 from beyond the arc to total 22 points and Simms added 20 for Arkansas State (16-6, 7-2), which has won five straight and now sits in first place with Georgia Southern, which lost to Troy 83-76 on Saturday.
The Red Wolves held a slim 28-26 lead at the half but broke out to dominate the second period 60-43. Arkansas State scored 55 points in the final 13 minutes, shooting 70 percent in the second half and finished hitting 31 of 59. Louisiana (14-8, 4-5) was held to 25-of-58 (43 percent) shooting.
Rashad Lindsey added 17 points and Tamas Bruce chipped in 11 for Arkansas State.
Frank Bartley IV led the Ragin' Cajuns with 18 points.
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Hollowell's late 3 gives Georgia State 83-80 win over South Alabama
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) Jeremy Hollowell nailed a 3-point jumper with under a minute to play to give Georgia State the lead and the Panthers held off South Alabama 83-80 on Monday night for its sixth straight win.
The victory, coupled with Georgia Southern's loss to Troy on Saturday, moved the Panthers (14-7, 7-2) into a first-place tie in the Sun Belt Conference with Arkansas State and Georgia Southern.
Hollowell's trey with 45 seconds left gave Georgia State a 76-73 lead. Jeff Thomas, Isaiah Williams, Hollowell and Isaiah Dennis made seven free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
D'Marcus Simonds led the Panthers with 21 points, five assists, and three steals. Hollowell drilled 4 of 5 from beyond the arc to total 20 points while dishing out four assists.
Georgia State shot 59 percent from the floor, making 9 of 19 from distance.
Ken Williams led South Alabama (10-12, 3-6) with 21 points.
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Coastal Carolina holds off late UTA rally for 72-70 win
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) Jaylen Shaw had 20 points and Demario Beck added 15 while grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds as Coastal Carolina held off a late UTA rally to earn a 72-70 victory on Monday night.
Coastal Carolina led 62-50 with 7:55 left. UTA's Kevin Hervey slammed home a dunk to start an 18-7 run as the Mavericks pulled to within one. Hervey capped the run with a trey to close to 69-68 with 20 seconds left. Shaw and Beck made three free throws to seal the victory.
Hervey's long-range heave at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
Elijah Wilson added 10 points for Coastal Carolina (10-12, 5-4 Sun Belt) which halted a three-game losing skid. The Chanticleers had won four consecutive before their three losses.
Hervey had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Mavericks (16-6, 6-3) who came back from 15 points down in the second half to beat Appalachian State 83-67 on Saturday.
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Texas State dominates Appalachian State 68-55
BOONE, N.C. (AP) Nijal Pearson had 14 points and seven rebounds as Texas State dominated Appalachian State 68-55 on Monday night to grab its third straight win.
Pearson was 6 of 11 from the floor. Kavin Gilder-Tilbury had 13 points, six rebounds and blocked three shots. Ojai Black added 10 points while dishing out six assists for Texas State (13-8, 6-3 Sun Belt Conference), which has won four of its last five games.
The Bobcats previous nine games have been won or lost by nine points or less.
Texas State was up 16-7 midway through the first half and took a 37-29 lead into halftime. Appalachian State's Emarious Logan nailed a 3-pointer to close to 37-33 at the 17:30 mark of the second half. Black answered with a layup and the Bobcats pulled away to the victory.
Logan and Griffin Kinney had 17 apiece for the Mountaineers (6-14, 1-8), who have dropped five straight.
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Person scores 19, late run lifts Troy over Georgia Southern
TROY, Ala. (AP) Wesley Person scored 19 points, DeVon Walker added 15 with nine rebounds and Troy knocked off Sun Belt Conference-leader Georgia Southern 83-76 on Monday night.
Juan Davis Jr. added 10 points and Kevin Baker scored eight with six rebounds and seven assists for Troy (12-11, 4-5).
The Trojans hit three 3-pointers, and five different players scored, during a 15-3 run that made it 20-12 and they led the rest of the way. Mike Hughes made a 3 and then a layup to cap a 7-1 spurt and trim Georgia Southern's deficit to 73-72 with 3:20 to go, but the Eagles missed four of their last five shots and Troy scored 10 of the last 14 points to seal it. The Trojans made 8 of 10 free throws in the final 2:08.
Ike Smith scored 20 and Hughes added 15 for Georgia Southern (14-8, 7-2), which has lost two in a row.
The Eagles missed 10 of 12 shots as Troy used a 25-7 run to make it 61-39 with 12 minutes left.
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ULM soars to first league win, beats Little Rock 68-52
MONROE, La. (AP) Sam McDaniel had 17 points while pulling down 11 rebounds to lead ULM to its first Sun Belt Conference win this season, beating Little Rock 68-52 on Monday night to also stop an eight-game losing skid.
ULM (7-15, 1-8) trailed 30-28 at the break but dominated the second half 40-22 to pull away for the win. Marcus Washington drilled a 3-point jumper for a 38-37 lead at the 12:04 mark and the Warhawks never trailed again.
Washington hit 5 of 8 from the floor for 13 points; Prince Cooper added 12 and Travis Munnings chipped in 11 for ULM. Nick Coppola dished out seven assists to put him over 500 for his career.
The Warhawks hit 51 percent (24-47) from the floor while limiting Little Rock to 22-of-57 (39 percent) shooting. ULM also made 10 more free throws.
Stetson Billings and Maurius Hill had 10 points apiece for LR (12-10, 3-6).