PENSACOLA, Fla. — No. 3-seeded Georgia State, which battled through early-season adversity including an 0-4 start in Sun Belt Conference play, completed its resurgence with its third Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship title over the past four events.
The Panthers will ride a 10-game winning streak into March Madness in their sixth all-time appearance (1991, 2001, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022), following their fourth all-time Sun Belt tournament crown (2015, 2018, 2019, 2022).
Georgia State used 66.7 percent shooting from distance to outlast No. 8-seeded Louisiana—the highest-seeded team to ever advance to a Sun Belt tournament final—80-71.
The Panthers carried a 42-33 advantage into the break behind 11 first-half points from Most Outstanding Player Corey Allen and would extend it to double-digits by the under-16 media timeout.
Louisiana used a six-point run from the 10:37 to 7:29 marks to cut the margin to a single possession, but could get no closer, as Georgia State defended its lead with 91.7 percent shooting (22-of-24) from the charity stripe.
Allen netted a game-high 29 points, while Louisiana sophomore forward Jordan Brown put up 24 in the loss. Georgia State senior forward Eliel Nsoseme turned in his third-straight double-double in Pensacola with 12 points and 13 rebounds in the championship game.
Brown and Nsoseme were named to the All-Tournament Team alongside Ragin’ Cajuns junior guard Greg Williams Jr. (15 points), App State senior guard Adrian Delph and Troy junior forward Efe Odigie.
Most Outstanding Player
Corey Allen, Georgia State (Sr., G – Ypsilanti, Mich.)
All-Tournament Team
Adrian Delph, App State (Sr., G – Gastonia, N.C.)
Eliel Nsoseme, Georgia State (Sr., F – Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Jordan Brown, Louisiana (So., F – Roseville, Calif.)
Greg Williams Jr., Louisiana (Jr., G – Lafayette, La.)
Efe Odigie, Troy (Jr., F – Houston, Texas)