BOONE, N.C.-Senior Malik Benlevi just missed a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds as Georgia State earned an 80-75 win at Appalachian State on Thursday night at the Holmes Convocation Center.
Georgia State (19-8, 10-4 Sun Belt) knocked down 12 3-pointers and turned the ball over just five times while holding Appalachian State (9-17, 4-9 Sun Belt) scoreless for the final 1:47 of the game.
Benlevi went 7-of-12 from the floor with four 3-pointers to move within 14 points of 1,000 for his career. Sophomore Kane Williams and junior D'Marcus Simonds each scored 18 points while senior Jeff Thomas added 11. Williams was 6-of-9 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the free throw line.
Thomas, along with senior Devin Mitchell, each knocked down their 200th career 3-pointers within the first four minutes of the game. Mitchell finished with nine points.
“That's a big-time win,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “Our defense really stepped up the final two minutes of the game to hold them scoreless while we knocked down some key shots down the stretch. This place has been tough on us over the years, so to come in and get a key win just a week away from March is huge for what we are trying to do.”
Hitting eight of its first 11 shots, including four 3-pointers, Georgia State jumped all over Appalachian State early building a 24-7 lead with 12:49 to play in the first half.
Trailing 26-13, the Mountaineers used a 7-0 run to cut Georgia State's lead to 26-20 with just under 10 minutes to play. A few minutes later, Appalachian State used an 8-0 run to tie the game 28-28 with 6:42 to play.
The Mountaineers were never able to take the lead and Georgia State went into the locker room ahead 40-36 after shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 6-of-15 from 3-point range. The Panthers turned the ball over just once while forcing eight that led to 11 points.
On a 3-pointer by Michael Bibby, the Mountaineers took their first lead of the game, 58-57, with 12:05 to play. Benlevi responded with a 3-pointer on the other end to put the Panthers back ahead by two.
The two teams would trade leads over the final 10 minutes before Tyrell Johnson tied the game 75-75 with 1:49 to play. A minute later, Williams knocked down a jumper for Georgia State and converted a free throw attempt to give GSU a three-point lead.
After Rhonshad Shabazz missed a 3-pointer for the Mountaineers, Jordan Tyson was fouled and made two clutch free throws with 9.4 seconds to play to secure the win.
Justin Forrest led Appalachian State with 17 points, while Isaac Johnson grabbed a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Mountaineers finished the game shooting 50.0 percent from the floor, but turned the ball over 15 times which led to 23 points for Georgia State.
Notes:
- Georgia State's 19-8 start to the season is tied for the third-best 26-game start in program history.
- Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have won more games (129) than any other NCAA Division I team in the state of Georgia.
- Georgia State improved to 17-0 when leading at halftime this season.
Georgia State will travel to Conway, S.C., on Thursday night to begin preparations for Saturday's game with Coastal Carolina. Tip is set for 2 p.m. and will air live on ESPN+.
