ATLANTA-Brandon McGee recorded his first double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds and Jihad Ali added 15 points and nine boards as Georgia State defeated Florida A&M, 76-67, Saturday at the GSU Sports Arena.

Freshman Devonta White contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Panthers, who evened their record at 4-4.

"I have to give Florida A&M a lot of credit as they came in here and played hard tonight," commented head coach Rod Barnes. "We were fortunate enough to get the win tonight, but I am disappointed in our effort. We are going to have to be much better if we are going to get the win on Wednesday night at Georgia Southern."

Amin Stevens led Florida A&M (5-6) with 25 points and 11 rebounds, and the Rattlers managed to stay close by hitting 20 of 22 free throws, despite entering the game at 55 percent on the season.

Georgia State built a 62-47 lead with seven minutes to play before FAMU scored 13 straight points, closing to within 62-60 with 3:24 left.

Ali answered for GSU with his fifth three-pointer of the game for a 65-60 lead. Eric Buckner blocked FAMU's next shot and then responded on the offensive end with a rebound and dunk to push the Panthers' lead to 67-60.

Georgia State then made seven of eight free throws in the final 1:36 to seal the victory.

Ali, the junior from Atlanta, went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc for his season-high 15 points. He also had two blocked shots and two steals.

Bucker finished with eight points, five rebounds and a career-best five blocked shots.

After leading 31-29 at the half, the Panthers opened the second half with an 8-1 run to build a 39-30 lead.

Georgia State will now hit the road for three straight, beginning on Wednesday night at Georgia Southern. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Live stats and live video will be available via GeorgiaStateSports.com.

--30--