Georgia Southern holds off Georgia State 54-52

Feb 23, 2016, 08:47 pm

STATESBORO, Ga. -- Mike Hughes made four 3-pointers and scored 21 points to help Georgia Southern hold off Georgia State 54-52 on Tuesday night.

Isaiah Williams made a reverse layup to pull Georgia State within 53-52 with 28.1 seconds left. Jake Allsmiller was fouled and made 1 of 2 free throws with 21.4 seconds left to extend Georgia Southern's lead to 54-52.

Georgia State nearly turned it over on its next possession, but the ball went out of bounds off of Georgia Southern with 9.1 seconds left. Williams missed a contested runner in the lane and Georgia Southern took possession with 2.8 seconds left. The Eagles beat the press and ran out the clock.

Ike Smith added 12 points for Georgia Southern (13-14, 9-8), which holds fifth place in the Sun Belt Conference standings.

Williams led Georgia State (14-12, 7-10) with 22 points. Jeremy Hollowell had 14 points and nine rebounds.