LAFAYATTE, La.-Ryan Harrow and R.J. Hunter combined for 52 points, but UL Lafayette overcame an early 17-point first-half deficit to defeat Georgia State 84-80 on Thursday night at the Cajun Dome.
Hunter finished with a team-high 27 points on 8-of-17 shooting, knocking down five 3-pointers, while Harrow added 25, including 16 in the second half.
Georgia State (9-6, 2-2 Sun Belt) opened a commanding 31-14 lead with 6:10 to play in the first half and still led 37-21 with 4:06 to play before ULL responded with a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 37-31 with 2:22 to play and finish the first half on a 19-4 run to trail by just one at the break.
UL Lafayette (10-6, 4-0 Sun Belt) saw all five starters score in double figures, but it was at the free throw line that the game was decided.
The Ragin' Cajuns finished the game 31-of-38 from the free throw line, while Georgia State managed to go just 10-of-17. The Panthers made seven more field goals than ULL in the opening half, but the Ragin' Cajuns made up the difference by making 13 more free throws.
Brian Williams led ULL with 20 points, while preseason all-conference first-team member Shawn Long finished with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds.
“I am really proud of the way our guys played today,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “We kind of let it get away from us in the first half, but I thought our effort was incredible. This is a long season. We had a magical season last year, but we still did not reach our goal of going to the NCAA tournament. This group is going to be fine.
“The difference in the first half was really the free throws. It allowed them to keep it close even though we were forcing turnovers. Then we started to uncharacteristically turn the ball over and they took advantage of the opportunities.”
Georgia State opened the game on a 9-0 run before UL Lafayette scored its first basket after nearly four minutes.
Hunter knocked down his first three 3-point attempts and five of his first seven shots as Georgia State built its lead to 29-12 with 7:41 to play in the opening half.
ULL continued its run to open the second half, building a 50-44 lead with 16:46 to play before Georgia State responded with a 9-0 run to take a 53-50 lead with 14:41 remaining.
Georgia State pushed the lead to 59-54 with 11:42 to play as Harrow scored 12 points in a little more than eight minutes to start the half.
ULL held Georgia State scoreless for nearly three minutes to build a 73-68 lead with 5:30 remaining, before Hunter knocked down another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two. Harrow followed with a fast break lay-up to tie the game 73-73 with just over four minutes remaining.
The Panthers took their final lead of the game, 77-76, with 1:21 to play following a jumper by Hunter.
ULL made its final eight free throws during the final 52 seconds of the game to secure the victory.
Junior T.J. Shipes finished with 10 points for the Panthers, while Kevin Ware recorded six points, four rebounds and three assists.
Devonta Walker added 15 points and six rebounds for UL Lafayette, while Jay Wright added 13 and Kasey Shepherd chipped in with 10.
The Panthers outscored ULL 44-26 in the paint, but finished with 14 turnovers.
Georgia State will return home to face Troy on Saturday in the GSU Sports Arena at 2 p.m. ET. Tickets for the game can be purchased by calling 1-866-GA-STATE or by visiting GeorgiaStateSports.com.
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