ATLANTA?Leonard Mendez scored 27 points and five other players reached double figures as Georgia State defeated Clark Atlanta, 94-62, in an exhibition Tuesday before 2,308 fans at the Georgia State Sports Arena.

Georgia State, under first-year head coach Rod Barnes, opens the regular season Saturday by hosting UAB in an 8 p.m. tipoff at the Sports Arena.

“First of all, I want to say how grateful I am to be at Georgia State,” said Barnes, the 2001 Naismith National Coach of the Year. “The fans really came out tonight to support us, which was great to see. We accomplished what we wanted because the kids really played hard and we got a win.”

Mendez, State's top returnee who led the Colonial Athletic Association in three-point shooting last season, picked up where he left off, hitting 5-for-8 from long-range. The junior from Smyrna, Ga., connected on 10-for-13 from the field overall as he came within one point of his career high of 28 points.

“I've really challenged Leonard because we need him to hit shots if we're going to be successful,” said Barnes.

Ousman Krubally, a sophomore walk-on from Atlanta, came off the bench to contribute 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting and six rebounds.

“Ousman has really improved,” said Barnes. “He's still learning as a basketball player, but he hustles and he's active.”

As a team, State shot 12-for-23 from three-point range and 56.9 percent overall, including 68.8 percent in the second half, and outrebounded Clark Atlanta, 41-21.

Senior Justin Billingslea and sophomore Trae Goldston scored 11 points each, and sophomore Kevin Lott and freshman Jihad Ali added 10 points apiece for Georgia State. Junior Rashad Chase was the top rebounder with nine, with Ali grabbing eight. Freshman D.J. Jones handed out a game-high seven assists and grabbed three steals off the bench.

Jahlani Heath led Clark Atlanta with 15 points, while Paul Nickerson scored 14 points and Najee Lane added 12.

Leading 37-29 at the half, Georgia State quickly built a 20-point advantage and outscored Clark Atlanta, 57-33, in the second half.

Clark Atlanta hung around early and trailed just 20-16 midway through the first half when State used a 12-2 run to take control, opening a 32-18 with four minutes in the half. Mendez drained a pair of treys during the spurt.

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