ATLANTA — Augustine Rubit tied his career high with 31 points, but Georgia State had two players score at least 25 and got a defensive stop on the final possession to beat South Alabama 75-73 in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
The loss was South Alabama’s third straight in the event and dropped the Jaguars to 2-3. Georgia State won its third consecutive game to improve to 3-2.
Panthers Hot From Outside
Georgia State shot 50 percent from the field, scored 43 points in the first half and made 11 of 18 3-point attempts.
“We’ve got to go back to basics. We’re just not guarding,” South Alabama coach Ronnie Arrow said. “Our teams have always been known for good man-to-man, pressure defenses and we’re not doing it. I thought they were going to score 100 points today. We’re not going to beat too many people holding them to 50 percent (from the floor). We have to get where we take more pride in our defense and stopping the ball.”
Manny Atkins led the Panthers with 26 points, 19 of them before halftime. R.J. Hunter scored 25, including 16 in the second half, and went 5 of 6 from 3-point range.
“When someone is having a great game like Hunter, we can’t just be off of him,” Arrow said. “We got closer to him, but in situations like that, he doesn’t even get the ball. We kept just letting him catch it. He’s a good freshman, but we should have been smart enough not to let him get the ball.”
“It’s like we’re hard-headed,” Arrow added. “When a team is making 3s, you don’t come off of them. You don’t come off guys that are hot.”
Rubit’s Double-Double
Rubit scored 20 of his 31 points in the first half and added 11 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. He made 13 of 18 shots from the field and 5 of 6 free throws, tied his career high with three assists, and had two blocks and a steal.
“I thought he played very well, but I thought our guys did a good job of getting him the ball and he was finishing,” Arrow said.
Xavier Roberson was South Alabama’s only other double-figure scorer, with all 12 of his points coming on 3-pointers.
Second-Half Comeback Falls Short
South Alabama trailed by eight at halftime but erased the deficit in the first 5:26 of the second half, tying the game 47-47 on a 3-pointer by Mychal Ammons. The Jaguars tied it once more but never led.
After falling behind by six midway through the half, South Alabama twice pulled within a point, the second time on a Rubit layup with 4:48 remaining. Georgia State answered with an 8-1 run capped by an Atkins 3-pointer at the 2:22 mark.
The Jaguars responded with 3-pointers on three straight trips from Freddie Goldstein and Roberson. Roberson’s fourth 3-pointer of the game cut the margin to one with 34.6 seconds left.
Final Possession
Hunter made the first of two free throws and missed the second, giving South Alabama the ball with 11.3 seconds left. Ammons drove the lane but could not get his shot to fall.
“We were trying to run a flare for Freddie,” Arrow said of the final play.
Sun Belt Play Next
South Alabama has a week off before opening Sun Belt Conference play at Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, Fla., on Thursday, Nov. 29. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. Central.
