ATLANTA, GA -- Georgia State fell to Sun Belt Conference leader Appalachian State 81-71 Thursday before a crowd of 3,127 at the GSU Convocation Center.

The Panthers (9-12, 4-6) had five players score in double figures, led by Lucas Taylor, who had 14 points, a career-high eight rebounds and two steals. Leslie Nkereuwem added 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, and Jay'Den Turner chipped in with 13 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Dwon Odom and Julian Mackey scored 10 points each.

Georgia State ended the first half on a 16-7 run, tying the game on a bucket by Edward Nnamoko to go into the locker room at 30-all.

But App State (18-4, 9-1) used its size advantage to shoot almost 60 percent in the second half en route to its seventh straight win. Terrance Harcum led the Mountaineers with 22 points, including four 3-pointers, while 6-9, 235-pound Justin Abson had 16 points and 15 rebounds.

"I think App State is one of the most talented mid-major teams that I've faced. They can beat you in a lot of different ways, and I give a lot of respect to Coach (Dustin) Kerns and the program he has built," head coach Jonas Hayes said. 

"Listen, we didn't do ourselves any favors. We had many, many breakdowns, but I still believe in my guys. We're going to become that team that we all want to be. We've got some growing pains right now, but I've got some fighters in my locker room."

Game Notes

» The Panthers shot well from three point range, knocking down eight of 19 long range attempts.
» Five Georgia State players scored 10 or more points.
» Lucas Taylor led the Panthers with 14 points.
» Georgia State got eight rebounds from Lucas Taylor, Leslie Nkereuwem and Jay'Den Turner.
» After scoring 10 points tonight, Dwon Odom is now just nine points away from the 1,000-point milestone for his career.

Georgia State now faces the Sun Belt's second-place team in less than 48 hours as the Panthers host Troy Saturday at 4 p.m. at the GSU Convocation Center in a doubleheader with the GSU women, who host Georgia Southern at 1 p.m. For tickets, visit GeorgiaStateSports.com/tix.