Coastal Carolina leads entire way in 65-60 victory
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Jaylen Shaw scored 15 points and Tyrell Gumbs-Frater added four 3-pointers and 14 points to help Coastal Carolina defeat Little Rock 65-60 on Thursday night.
The Chanticleers shot only 33 percent but made 23 of 34 free throws to 11 of 22 for the Trojans.
Demario Beck added 11 points and nine rebounds and Artur Labinowicz 10 points, while Zac Cuthbertson had 10 boards with seven points for Coastal (13-16, 7-9 Sun Belt), which won its second straight and swept the season series.
Ben Marcus had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Cameron Corcoran and Anthony Black scored 11 points each for the Trojans (6-22, 3-12).
Coastal led the whole way and their lead was in single digits the entire second half but reached nine on Gumbs-Frater's 3-pointer with four minutes left, the Chanticleers' final field goal. From there, they made 11 of 14 free throws with Little Rock not getting within one possession.
Wilson, Hervey lead UT Arlington to win over Georgia Southern
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Kaelon Wilson had a career-high 23 points and Kevin Hervey added 21 as UT Arlington dominated the second half to even its Sun Belt Conference record, beating Georgia Southern 83-63 on Thursday night.
The victory moves UT Arlington closer to securing a fourth-place finish in the conference. The top four teams receive a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
The Mavericks (17-12, 8-8) are battling with seven other teams for a top-four finish.
Hervey drilled 5 of 8 from behind the arc and grabbed nine rebounds. Erick Neal finished with 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Julian Harris added 10 points.
UTA trailed for most of the first half until Wilson scored four straight points to end the half and take a 37-33 lead. The Mavericks had a 28-4 run in the final period to easily win the second half 46-30 to pick up their fourth win in the last six games.
UTA will face Georgia State (20-8, 11-4) in Arlington before traveling to Texas State to conclude the regular season.
Montae Glenn and David-Lee Jones Jr. had 12 points apiece for the Eagles (17-11, 8-7).
ULM holds off South Alabama for 66-62 victory
MOBILE, Ala. -- Travis Munnings drained a trey and followed with a free throw in the final minutes to give Louisiana-Monroe enough cushion to hold off South Alabama 66-62 on Thursday night.
Munnings' 3 with 3:47 remaining tied the game at 57-57. He split a pair of free throws to take the lead for good with 3:13 left. Michael Ertel made two more free throws and Munnings added another two for a 61-56 advantage as the Jaguars went scoreless for almost four minutes.
The Warhawks lead 62-56 following Marvin Jean-Pierre's free throw before Herb McGee made two free throws to pull South Alabama to within four, 62-58. Sam McDaniel added four free throws as ULM made 10 down the stretch to secure the win.
McDaniel had 19 points to lead the Warhawks (14-12, 8-7 Sun Belt Conference), who have won five in a row and seven of their last eight games. They are currently tied with Georgia Southern (17-11, 8-7) for third place in the conference standings.
Munnings finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Ertel added 17 points and Jean-Pierre chipped in 14.
Rodrick Sikes had 19 points for South Alabama (14-14, 7-8). Josh Ajayi added 12 points and Trhae Mitchell pulled down 13 rebounds.
Bartley helps Louisiana claim Sun Belt title 81-76 at Troy
TROY, Ala. -- Frank Bartley scored 22 points, Marcus Stroman made four free throws in the last 28 seconds and Louisiana held off Troy 81-76 Thursday night to claim its first Sun Belt Conference championship in 18 years.
The Ragin Cajuns (24-4, 14-1) pulled down 46 rebounds, including 35 off the defensive glass, while Troy grabbed 30 rebounds all told and the disparity helped Louisiana survive Troy's 53-percent shooting from long range. The Trojans made 13 of 28 from distance but were outscored 40-20 in the paint, 17-6 on second-chance points and 11-6 on the fast break.
The Trojans (13-15, 7-8) came within two points three times in the last 95 seconds. Jordan Varnado scored on a drive to pull Troy as close as 72-70 with 1:35 remaining, but he missed a free throw that would have turned the bucket into a three-point play. Wesley Person scored two from the line to pull Troy to 74-72 but Bryce Washington answered with a drive and, after another
Varnado bucket made it 76-74 with 36 seconds left, Strohman closed things out from the foul line.
Louisiana last won the Sun Belt in the 1999-00 season. The victory was also coach Bob Marlin's 500th.
Arkansas State upsets Appalachian State, 82-79; tighten Sun Belt
JONESBORO, Ark. -- Rashad Lindsey hit a jumper with 1:33 left in the game to give Arkansas State the lead and the Red Wolves made it stand up for an 82-79 upset of Appalachian State in a Sun Belt Conference battle Thursday night.
Appalachian State entered the game tied with Troy for seventh place. But after both teams lost and Coastal Carolina posted a 65-60 win over Little Rock, it's now a three-way tie.
The Mountaineers have two games remaining in the regular season: at Little Rock Saturday and at home against Coastal Carolina March 3.
Lindsey finished with 24 points to lead the Red Wolves (10-18, 5-10). Tristan Walley and Marquis Eaton each added 12 points.
Ronshad Shabazz scored 32 points to lead Appalachian State (12-17, 7-9). Justin Forrest and Tyrell Johnson scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, and Isaac Johnson pulled down a dozen rebounds.
Georgia State uses 28-2 run, beats Texas State 77-50
SAN MARCOS, Texas -- D'Marcus Simonds scored 19 points and Georgia State cruised to a 77-50 victory over Texas State on Thursday night.
Georgia State (20-8, 11-4 Sun Belt Conference) rebounded from consecutive losses and is three games back of conference leader Louisiana (14-1) with three games remaining. Texas State (14-15, 7-9) has lost seven straight.
The Panthers had a 28-2 run that spanned the halves. Deris Duncan's layup snapped a nearly 14-minute stretch for Texas State in which it shot 0 for 12 from the field and missed 10 free-throw attempts.
Simonds was 8 of 17 from the floor. Malik Benlevi added 16 points and Jeff Thomas had 13 for the Panthers. Benlevi and Thomas combined for seven of Georgia State's 10 3-pointers.
Nijal Pearson scored 17 points and Tre'Larenz Nottingham had 10 to lead Texas State.