SAN MARCOS, Texas – Nighael Ceaser scored 23 points, and Davion Coleman collected 16 points and five rebounds as Texas State held off Georgia Southern 70-67 in Sun Belt men's basketball action Thursday night in Strahan Arena.
The Eagles had the ball with 9.4 seconds left and trailing by three points after a Coleman free throw. Jalen Finch took the inbounds pass and brought the ball up court where he fed it to Kamari Brown who threw a cross-court pass to Tyren Moore for a long triple try, but the ball rimmed out and the final horn sounded.
Eagles of the Game
Moore scored a career-high 19 points and added three steals, two assists and a blocked shot, and Andrei Savrasov finished with 17 points, all in the first half, to go along with four rebounds. Finch finished with 11 points, Kaden Archie scored nine and Carlos Curry totaled a team-high seven rebounds.
Key Moments
GS trailed 66-59 with 1:43 to play, but a 3-pointer by Moore and a conventional 3-point play by Curry brought the Eagles to within two points with 22.4 left. The Eagles fouled Coleman, who made them both, but Moore answered with a pair of free throws to keep the margin at two. GS fouled Coleman again, and the junior missed the first one but made the second, setting up the game's final play.
The Eagles (12-10, 5-4) made their first four shots of the game and jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the contest. Texas State (11-11, 4-5) came right back with a 14-2 spurt and took its first lead on Jordan Mason's and-1 6:56 into the contest.
Georgia Southern led 36-31 at halftime and held a 47-44 cushion following a triple by Moore 7:17 into the second half. Texas State took control of the game with a 10-2 run and opened a 54-49 lead on a Brandon Davis 3-pointer with 8:30 left.
Stats and Notes
- It was the first game between the teams since Feb. 20, 2020.
- GS shot 52 percent in the first half, but Texas State shot 58 percent in the second half.
- The Bobcats held a 42-8 edge in points off the bench.
- The Eagles had a streak of 10 straight games with the same starting lineup come to an end.
Next up
The Eagles continue their four-game road trip at Louisiana Saturday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET, and the contest will air live on ESPN+ and the GS Sports Network.
