SAN MARCOS, Texas – Ike Smith scored a season-high 27 points, and Georgia Southern used a late run to power past Texas State 81-77 Saturday afternoon in Strahan Coliseum.

Smith added five rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot while shooting 11 of 16 from the field and 5 of 8 from long distance, tying a career-best for made triples. Mike Hughes posted 19 points and four assists, and Tookie Brown finished with 14 points and five assists for Georgia Southern (18-11, 9-7). 

The Eagles moved into sole possession of third place in the Sun Belt standings, and the top-four teams receive a bye in the upcoming conference tournament March 7-11 in New Orleans at Lakefront Arena.

Tre Nottingham collected a career-high 27 points, six rebounds and four assists for Texas State (14-16, 7-10), which suffered its eighth straight loss. Nijal Pearson had 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Immanuel King scored 10.

The story
The score was tied 59-59, when the Eagles went on a 16-5 run to take control of the game. Smith scored five during the stretch while Brown scored seven in a row, and his two free throws put the Eagles ahead 75-64 with 50.4 seconds to play.

GS missed two straight front ends of 1-and-1 opportunities from the free-throw line, and Nottingham scored 10 points, including two triples, to trim the margin to 79-77. Hughes was fouled with 5.9 seconds to go and made both free throws to seal the win.

GS shot 60 percent in the second half and committed a season-low six turnovers in the contest. Texas State shot 52 percent in the game and made a season-high 12 3-pointers.  

Quotables 
Junior Ike Smith
Overall
"I felt good today, and when my first shot went in, I knew it was going to good night for me. I was attacking and getting my teammates good shots early, and I knew it was going to come back to me eventually."

On shooting
"Lately, I've been in a shooting slump, and coach told me to get out of the slump, I have to attack the rim and look for my teammates, so I've been attacking lately."

On the season
"I had to face a lot of adversity this year with my ankle injury, and it's been a rough year. I've struggled but when you have great teammates like I do, they keep me up and keep positive thoughts in my head. I'm happy for the seniors to get this road win tonight."

Head coach Mark Byington
On shooting percentage
"What makes me feel good is the way it happened. To do that against a really good defensive team, and the way we were sharing the ball is what really makes me happy. We were sharing the ball and getting high-quality shots every time. The guys followed the game plan - what we told them, they did exactly what they were supposed to on offense. We were really clicking on offense, and it was really great to see Ike play the way he did. It looked like he was really enjoying basketball again, and when he plays like that, I enjoy basketball too." 

Next up
Georgia Southern returns home for the final two games of the regular season, starting with a contest against South Alabama. Tipoff is set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN3. Promotions: Let the Madness Begin! - The month of March strikes madness in basketball fans and our marketing department! Get ready for some crazy giveaways and fun promotions. Halftime - Join us as we honor our Scholar Student-Athletes.

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In order to expedite entry and provide a safe environment for all patrons and participants, Georgia Southern Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all ticketed sporting events, effective Aug. 1, 2017. Fans can find the complete policy as well as an FAQ section at GSEagles.com/ClearBag.