Eagles Take Fourth-Straight Win, Push Past SC State

Saturday, November 29

Statesboro, Ga.

2:30 PM

Georgia Southern University

4-1

South Carolina State

1-4

SC State

Georgia Southern

Angel Matias

Photo by: Frank Fortune - Georgia Southern Athletics

11/29/2014 5:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

A 16-2 run late gives cements the 71-58 win

STATESBORO, GA. – Jelani Hewitt scored a game-high 23 points, and Georgia Southern held SC State to 26 percent shooting in the second half to top the Bulldogs 71-58 in men's basketball action Saturday afternoon in Hanner Fieldhouse.

With the score tied 53-53, Jake Allsmiller drilled consecutive triples to spark a 16-2 run as Georgia Southern took control of the game. Angel Matias scored five points during the stretch, and Hewitt capped the run with five straight free throws, giving the Eagles a 69-55 cushion with a minute to play.

"A lot of guys made big plays tonight," said Head Coach Mark Byington. "I told the guys that this was a team win. We had guys step up when it was their time, and I'm really happy for Jake (Allsmiller). Those shots gave us some confidence down the stretch, and Angel's (Matias) shot was a dagger for us."

Trent Wiedeman contributed 18 points and eight rebounds for the Eagles (4-1), and Matias scored 10. Mike Hughes collected 11 points and seven rebounds.

Karon Wright scored 17 points to lead SC State (1-4), and Tashombe Riley chipped in 10 points.

Wiedeman scored five points as Georgia Southern jumped out to a 12-4 lead to start the contest. The Eagles led 27-20 when the Bulldogs canned three straight 3-pointers in a 15-2 spurt that opened a 35-29 SC State cushion.

Matias blocked a shot, grabbed the loose ball and went in for a fast-break dunk with 17 seconds left in the half, making the margin 35-31 at the intermission. SC State shot 52 percent in the half and canned 7-of-14 from downtown.

After the break, the gulf grew by one to five points on another three-pointer from Wright, but an immediate answer by Diamond brought the lead back to two. The teams exchanged the lead seven times through the second half until Allsmiller's three-pointer with 5:49 left put the Eagles ahead for good.

The Eagles return to action at Central Florida Tuesday with tipoff slated for 7:30 p.m. The game can be seen live on ESPN3 with radio coverage on the Georgia Southern Sports Network from Learfield Sports.

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