STATESBORO, Ga. – Mike Hughes hit the game-tying 3-pointer with six seconds left in regulation and went 4 for 4 from the free-throw line in the final eight seconds of overtime to lift Georgia Southern to an 84-79 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball victory over South Alabama Monday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.

Hughes scored nine of his 13 points in the final 5:06 of the contest and added six rebounds, three steals and two assists for Georgia Southern (10-6, 3-0), which starts conference play 3-0 for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

Tookie Brown collected 26 points, six assists and four steals, and Ike Smith notched 23 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. Jake Allsmiller finished with nine points and three boards.

Georgia Southern erased a four-point deficit in the final 47.4 of regulation. Hughes, who was 1 for 10 to that point in the game, came off a stagger screen and hit the 3-pointer from the wing with six seconds left to tie the score 68-68 and send the game into overtime.

B.J. Gladden broke a 77-77 tie with a driving layup with just over a minute to go in the extra period, and Georgi Boyanov missed two free throws at the other end for South Alabama. Brown gave the Eagles a 3-point lead with a free throw with 18.3 seconds left, and Hughes was fouled after rebounding a Ken Williams 3-point miss with 8.2 to play. The junior made both and hit another pair with 1.4 to go to seal the win.

Josh Ajayi tallied 19 points, 13 rebounds and four assists for South Alabama (8-8, 1-2), and Williams scored 20.

The story
GS trailed 66-62 with 47.4 left in regulation after a Williams triple. Allsmiller made a long 3-pointer from the wing on Georgia Southern's next possession, and Shawn O'Connell helped force a Jaguar turnover by trapping the inbounds pass with 32.1 on the clock.

The Eagles turned it over and were forced to foul Williams to prevent a fast-break layup, but the senior only cashed in on one freebie. Brown dribbled right and looked back left to find Hughes coming wide open through the screen for the equalizer.

Georgia Southern shot 48 percent from the floor but committed a season-high 24 turnovers and made just 13 of 23 from the charity stripe. The Jags fared worse from the free throw line, making 20 of 36.

Quotables
Head coach Mark Byington
"In the first four minutes, we were really sharp, but then things got ugly. We were fouling and turning the ball over, and this is probably the most there's been since I've been here. That was not us. Everything was going against us. We weren't making free throws, we were getting frustrated and we couldn't get stops. I just wanted them to keep playing and find a way and we got some guys who did."

On Hughes
"He's not scared of the moment, and he made a big shot for us. He's just one of those types of kids who wants the ball in his hands in that situation. Everybody executed. The two guys set a great screen for him, and Tookie made a good pass."

On Brown
"I thought Tookie Brown - this is one of the most special games he has had. His leadership was unbelievable and his will and he was locked in. He would make mistake and then go make a play. He just kept going and going and going. I'm glad he was on our side."

Mike Hughes on the game-tying shot
"We ran a play that we had run a lot for Ike, but they fell asleep on me and I came off the double stagger. I was wide open, and I knew I had to shoot it. I was struggling all night, but my teammates told me to stay ready and that I'm going to find it. I found it at the right time and was able to make that one for my team."

Next up
Georgia Southern plays two on the road next week as the Eagles travel to Louisiana Saturday and ULM Monday. GS returns home the following weekend to play host to Appalachian State (Jan. 21) and Coastal Carolina (Jan. 23).

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, visit GSEagles.com/tickets.