ATLANTA?Leonard Mendez led all scorers with 21 points and seniors Deven Dickerson and Justin Billingslea each reached double figures on Senior Night as Georgia State defeated Towson, 79-63, Wednesday at the Georgia State Sports Arena.

Dickerson scored a season-high 11 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Billingslea scored 10 points. Michael Moynihan added 13 points and Trae Goldston 12 as the Panthers (9-19, 5-12) won for the third time in the last four games with their largest margin of victory of the season.

State shot a season-best 59.6 percent from the field, including 11-for-19 from three-point range. The Panthers handed out 23 assists, another season high, on 31 baskets.

“The game was a great game for us, probably the most fun I've had since I've been in this building,” said Georgia State's first-year head coach Rod Barnes, who earned his 150th career victory.

“I told our seniors, Justin and Deven, that I appreciate them,” continued Barnes. “They accepted us as coaches and embraced what we tried to do. We may not have won as many games as we would have like to, but they hung in there.

“I told them, they are ending their careers, but they've helped us start something here at Georgia State.  We're going to be able to look back at Deven and Justin and what they contributed to help us start something special. And they've done it the right way, as student-athletes who are going to graduate this year and been model citizens.”

State took control of the game with a 12-2 scoring run late in the first half. The Panthers jumped to a 23-10 lead midway throught the first half but allowed Towson back in the game as the Tigers scored 11 straight points to pull within 23-21 with five minutes to go. But State answered with its run, keyed by treys by Mendez and Jihad Ali, en route to a 38-27 halftime lead.

Towson scored the first five points of the second half to come within seven points at 38-31, but the Panthers hit four straight three-pointers, one by Mendez and three by Goldston, to extend their advantage to 50-34. State led by as many as 25 points in the second half.

Tony Durant, younger brother of NBA star Kevin Durant, led Towson (11-17, 6-11) with 18 points.

The Panthers conclude the regular season Saturday at James Madison at 2 p.m., followed by the CAA Tournament, beginning Mar. 7 in Richmond, Va.

--30--