PENSACOLA, Fla. — Norchad Omier collected his second double-double in as many days, but it was not quite enough as Georgia State held off Arkansas State men's basketball for a 71-68 win in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinals Saturday night at the Pensacola Bay Center.
Omier scored 16 points and collected 18 rebounds to lead the Red Wolves (11-13), who held a four-point lead with two minutes to go, but the East No. 1 seed Panthers (15-5) scored seven straight to close out the contest and advance to the tournament semifinals. The performance was the freshman's 15th of the season.
The game featured seven ties and 19 lead changes, with the Red Wolves leading for nearly 24 minutes.
Marquis Eaton narrowly missed a double-double of his own with 16 points and eight assists. Malcolm Farrington notched nine points off the bench while Keyon Wesley added eight points and seven boards. A-State shot 37.3 percent (25-67) from the floor and an impressive 47.4 percent (9-19) from three-point range while outrebounding Georgia State 47 to 38.
Five players scored 10 or more for the Panthers, led by Justin Roberts' game-high 17 points and eight rebounds. Corey Allen added 15 points while Evan Johnson scored 11. Jalen Thomas and Eliel Nsoseme tallied 10 apiece with Nsoseme pulling down 12 rebounds. GSU shot 45.2 percent (28-62) from the field – 41.7 percent (5-12) from three.
A-State took an early lead in the first half and led by as much as 13 with 6:37 left during a 17-3 run that featured a barrage of threes by Avery Felts, Eaton and Markise Davis. The Panthers closed the half on a 15-1 run to reclaim a slight lead, taking a 34-33 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Red Wolves reclaimed the lead in the first minute of the second half, but Georgia State reclaimed momentum to lead by five – the Panthers' largest lead of the night. A-State responded by taking back a one-possession lead midway through the half. The teams would trade leads until late in the contest, as A-State's last lead came on a trey by Farrington. Georgia State's 7-0 run closed things out, advancing the Panthers to the tournament semifinals on Sunday.
