Simonds hits 2 late FTs to seal 85-82 win for Georgia St.

Feb 4, 2017, 05:05 pm

ATLANTA -- D'Marcus Simonds hit two free throws in the final seconds to secure the win as Georgia State barely survived a late Louisiana-Lafayette rally for an 85-82 victory on Saturday.

The Ragin' Cajuns, trailing 81-71 with 5:29 left, mounted a furious charge to trail 83-82 with 55 seconds left. Jay Wright slammed home a dunk after he swiped the ball from Isaiah Williams and Johnathan Stove followed with a layup to cut the margin to one as the Panthers scored just three points in the final 4:32.

Simonds, who finished with 19 points, hit two free throws in the final three seconds for the victory. P.J. Hardy missed a 3-point attempt as the clock expired.

Malik Benlevi had 17 points as the Panthers (15-7, 8-2 Sun Belt) won their seventh straight.

Frank Bartley IV nailed 7 of 15 from distance for a career-high 31 points for the Ragin' Cajuns (14-9, 4-6).