SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29
Troy 71, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 63
Troy, Ala. – Troy shot 50 percent (11-of-22) in the second half to hold of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 71-63 in its non-conference men's basketball finale inside of Trojan Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Georgia State 117, Middle Georgia State 69
ATLANTA – Georgia State scored a season-high 117 points defeating Middle Georgia State 117-69 Saturday at GSU Sports Arena in its final game before Sun Belt Conference play begins next week. With the victory, the Panthers tied a school record with nine wins before conference play, a mark they’ve reached three times before, including last season. In a dominant, record-setting performance, the Panthers made a season-high 16 3-pointers, shooting 47.1 percent (16-for-34). The team’s 117 points was the fourth-most in school history and the 48-point win was the second-highest margin of victory in school history. The 69 points scored in the second half tied for the third-most in program history.
Dayton 94, Georgia Southern 90
DAYTON, Ohio – Josh Cunningham tallied 25 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Dayton shot 57 percent from the field to earn a 94-90 men's basketball win over Georgia Southern Saturday afternoon at UD Arena.
Richmond 91, South Alabama 82
MOBILE, Ala. – The Richmond men's basketball team had three players score 20 points and shot 52.6 percent from the floor in a 91-82 defeat of the University of South Alabama Saturday afternoon at the Mitchell Center.
Louisiana 73, Southeastern Louisiana 72
HAMMOND, La. – JaKeenan Gant go-ahead dunk with 3.0 seconds remaining capped a furious 10-3 run over the final 1:35 and helped the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns to a back-and-forth 73-72 win against Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday at the University Center.
Texas State 105, Howard Payne 29
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Nijal Pearson and Tre'Larenz Nottingham each scored 22 points to lead the Texas State men's basketball team to a 105-29 victory over Howard Payne Saturday afternoon in Strahan Arena. Texas State had four players score in double figures with Eric Terry and Shelby Adamsalso netting 11 points each. Adams also pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds in his first career start to lead the Bobcats. He is the third Texas State player to record a double-double this season. Jaylen Sheadscored all seven of his points in the first half and ended the game handing out a game-high eight assists.
Arkansas State 87, Harding 62
JONESBORO, Ark. – Marquis Eaton scored a career-high 23 points and Malik Brevard and Salif Boudie added double-doubles as the Arkansas State men’s basketball team closed non-conference play with an 87-62 victory over Harding. Eaton led all scorers with 23 points, one of five A-State (6-7) players to finish in double figures. Boudie notched his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Brevard collected his second on the year with 12 points and 10 boards. Ty Cockfield added 18 points and a career high seven assists while Kobe Wilson had a season-best 10 points. Gabriel Divic and Adam Horn led Harding (5-4) with 13 points each.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30
Saint Louis 83, Appalachian State 55
SAINT LOUIS, Mo. – Appalachian State men's basketball dropped a 83-55 contest at Saint Louis on Sunday afternoon in its non-conference finale. Ronshad Shabazz paced the Mountaineers (5-8) with a team-high 13 points to go along with three rebounds. In the game, he moved past Wayne Duncan (1,734) for fourth place on the all-time scoring list.