STATESBORO, Ga. – Jelani Hewitt tallied 17 points, five assists and four steals, and Georgia Southern made 12 3-pointers to run away with an 83-46 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball victory over Appalachian State Thursday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.
 
Hewitt was 5-for-10 from long distance for the Eagles (14-4, 7-2), while Eric Ferguson made two from behind the arc and scored 11 points. Trent Wiedeman recorded 16 points, six rebounds and two steals and got into the act with one triple, and Angel Matias posted 13 points and three steals.
 
Jake Allsmiller hit a pair from long distance, while Devonte Boykins and D.J. Suter each notched a 3-pointer. The Eagles outscored the Apps 36-6 from downtown and shot 52 percent for the game and 68 percent in the second half, while knocking down 10-of-13 from 3-point range. The Mountaineers were held to 29 percent shooting in the game and 23 percent in the first half.
 
The Eagles started the game with a 13-2 run, keyed by five points from Wiedeman and a 3-pointer by Allsmiller, and were never threatened in the contest. The margin grew to as many as 17 points in the first frame on a transition layup by Ferguson, and Georgia Southern led 33-16 at the break.
 
A 3-pointer by Hewitt sparked an 11-4 Georgia Southern run to start the second half, and the Eagles led 44-20 after a Kyle Doyle layup five minutes into the stanza. The lead grew to as many as 42 points after a 3-pointer from the wing by Suter with 1:44 to go.
 
Frank Eaves led Appalachian State (8-11, 5-5) with nine points, while Jacob Lawson and Rantavious Gilbert each scored eight points.
 
The Eagles continue their five-game homestand by playing host to UALR Saturday in Hanner Fieldhouse. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
All-session ticket books to this year's Sun Belt Basketball Championships March 11-15, in New Orleans are available for $99 at the Georgia Southern Ticket Office. Call 1-800-GSU-WINS!
 
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. For tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, call 1-800-GSU-WINS or visit GSEagles.com.