Georgia Southern beats South Alabama 84-79 in OT

Jan 9, 2017, 10:09 pm

STATESBORO, Ga. -- Mike Hughes hit a 3-pointer to force overtime and scored six of his 13 points in the extra frame as Georgia Southern beat South Alabama 84-79 on Monday night.

Tookie Brown had 26 points and Ike Smith scored 23 for Georgia Southern (10-6, 3-0 Sun Belt). Smith made five 3-pointers, grabbed 11 rebounds and had six assists -- all career highs.

Josh Ajayi's layup gave South Alabama (8-8, 1-2) a 77-75 lead with 2:17 to play but two free throws by Hughes capped a 7-0 run that gave the Eagles a five-point lead with eight seconds remaining. Ken Williams made a layup to pull the Jaguars within three, but Hughes hit two more foul shots to seal it.

Williams' 3-pointer with 48 seconds left in regulation gave South Alabama a 66-62 lead. After Jake Allsmiller hit a 3 on the other end, Williams made two free throws to make it 68-65 before Hughes tied it with six seconds to play.

Williams, who led the Jaguars with 20 points, missed a 3 at the end of regulation. Ajayi added 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.