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PENSACOLA, Fla. – Efficient shooting was the name of the game on the opening day of the 2023 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship, held on Tuesday at the Pensacola Bay Center.
Thirteenth-seeded Arkansas State shot 52.8 percent (28-of-53) from the field and 56 percent (14-of-25) from three-point range, connecting on 14 treys to earn an 86-69 victory against 12th-seeded Coastal Carolina.
Eleventh-seeded Texas State connected on 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the floor and knocked down 24-of-28 free throws (85.7 percent) in an 81-76 win against 14th-seeded Georgia State.
The second round of the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship is slated for Thursday with four games beginning at 11:30 a.m. CT at the Pensacola Bay Center.
(13) Arkansas State 86, (12) Coastal Carolina 69 (Box Score)
Arkansas State freshman guard Terrance Ford, Jr., turned in a game-high 25 points as one of four Red Wolves to score in double figures in an 86-69 win against Coastal Carolina.
Arkansas State (13-19), which earned its third win in its last four games, buried a season-best 14 three-pointers, marking its most treys since connecting on 14 against UT Martin in 2016. The Red Wolves won their opening game at the Sun Belt Championship for the third consecutive year.
Omar El-Sheikh recorded his 12th double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Markise Davis (20) and Avery Felts (12) also scored in double figures.
The rebound battle between the two teams was even at 33 apiece.
Coastal Carolina (11-20) was led by Antonio Daye Jr.’s team-high 24 points. Essam Mostafa, playing in his first game since Feb. 9, charted his 16th double-double of the season with 13 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
Coastal Carolina head coach Cliff Ellis was honored prior to the start of the game in recognition of earning his 900th career victory earlier this season.
Arkansas State will face fifth-seeded Troy on Thursday at 2 p.m. CT.
(11) Texas State 81, (14) Georgia State 76 (Box Score)
Five Texas State players scored in double figures as the 11th-seeded Bobcats shot 52 percent and won an 81-76 decision against 14th-seeded Georgia State.
Texas State (14-18) shot better than 50 percent for the seventh time this season, making 27-of-52 attempts from the field. The Bobcats made 24-of-28 free-throws in the contest.
Drue Drinnon led the scoring for Texas State with 16 points, going 5-for-6 from the field, 2-of-2 from three-point range and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. Jordan Mason added 14 points and a game-high four assists. Tyrel Morgan (14) and Mason Harrell (13) also tallied double-digit point totals. Morgan had a game-high seven rebounds.
Texas State won the battle of the boards 31-27.
Georgia State (10-21) was led by a game-high 25 points from Collin Moore. Dwon Odom (18), Kaleb Scott (10) and Brenden Tucker (10) also scored in double figures for the Panthers.
Texas State will face sixth-seeded Old Dominion on Thursday at 5 p.m. CT.
2023 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship
Tuesday, February 28
Game 1 – (13) Arkansas State 86, (12) Coastal Carolina 69
Game 2 – (11) Texas State 81, (14) Georgia State 76
Thursday, March 2
Game 3 – (8) South Alabama vs. (9) App State – 11:30 a.m. CT
Game 4 – (5) Troy vs. (13) Arkansas State – 2 p.m. CT
Game 5 – (6) Old Dominion vs. (11) Texas State – 5 p.m. CT
Game 6 – (7) Georgia Southern vs. (10) ULM – 7:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, March 4
Game 7 – (1) Southern Miss vs. Winner Game 3 – 11:30 a.m. CT
Game 8 – (4) James Madison vs. Winner Game 4 – 2 p.m. CT
Game 9 – (3) Marshall vs. Winner Game 5 – 5 p.m. CT
Game 10 – (2) Louisiana vs. Winner Game 6 – 7:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, March 5
Game 11 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 – 5 p.m. CT
Game 12 – Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 – 7:30 p.m. CT
Monday, March 6
Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 6 p.m. CT
All Times Central
All Games on ESPN+; Championship Game on ESPN2