ATLANTA -- Raheem Appleby scored a career-high 34 points and Louisiana Tech defeated Georgia State 86-68 Friday night to win its seventh straight game.

Appleby was 14 of 19 from the field and also grabbed seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, who start the season 7-1 for only the second time in 20 years.

Georgia State (3-4) led 14-7 early, with R.J. Hunter scoring seven points in the opening 4 minutes. Alex Hamilton's seven straight points sparked a 19-4 Louisiana Tech run, and Cordarius Johnson added eight points in the spurt, including two 3-pointers.

The Bulldogs, who led by as many as 28, had a 45-36 rebounding advantage.

Kenneth Smith added 15 points and Cordarius Johnson 14 for Louisiana Tech, which shot 54.2 percent (32 of 59) compared to 34.7 percent (25 of 72) for the Panthers.

Hunter scored 23 points and Manny Atkins and Devonta White added 13 apiece for Georgia State