Georgia State beats Chattanooga 71-48 behind Simonds' 21

Dec 23, 2017, 02:53 pm

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- D'Marcus Simonds had 21 points, six rebounds and six assists as Georgia State cruised by Chattanooga 71-48 on Saturday.

Georgia State (9-4) closed out its non-conference slate by tying a program record for wins before league play. The Panthers have won six of their last eight, with two losses coming in overtime.

Jordan Session added 12 points and Jeff Thomas 11 for Georgia State (8-4). Simonds, who entered ranked 30th in the nation at 21.2 points per game, was 10-of-14 shooting.

Simonds scored 16 points in the first half as Georgia State had an 18-point lead (33-15) after shooting 59 percent. The Panthers opened the second half by scoring the first 10 points during a 17-3 run for a 53-21 lead.

Nat Dixon paced Chattanooga (6-7) with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting. The Mocs were 10 of 39 (26 percent) from the field with seven minutes remaining and finished at 30.2 percent.