WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Deven Simms, fouled after stealing an inbounds pass, made two free throws with 12 seconds remaining to help Arkansas State hold off Georgetown's rally for a 78-72 victory on Thursday night.
Georgetown (1-2) trailed by more than 10 points most of the game, but the Hoyas closed to within 74-72 with 50 seconds remaining.
A free throw by C.J. Foster made it 75-72 before Simms' steal and free throws.
"Georgetown has a tremendous team, and they are going to be great, but for us as a team we've got great guys that have competed since day one," ASU Coach Grant McCasland said. "Our seniors [Donte Thomas and Devin Carter] told me they wanted to win, and they brought it tonight. That's why we won, and I'm fortunate to coach this team. I'm proud of the steps we've taken to this point, and I'm excited about where we will go from here."
The Red Wolves (2-1) took the lead for good at 13-12 with 11:47 left in the first half on Simms' layup. Simms and Devin Carter combined to score 10 of the Red Wolves' next 16 points as they built a 29-16 lead with 6:57 left in the first half.
ASU, a 21½-point underdog, shot 17 of 26 for 65.4 percent in the first half as it built a 48-29 halftime lead. Georgetown made only 9 of 26 shots in the half (34.6 percent).
Down 69-53 with 8:13 remaining, Georgetown used a 19-5 run to pull within 74-72. L.J. Peak scored eight points during the surge.
Carter scored 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting for ASU, which shot 56 percent from the floor, hit half its 12 three-point attempts and won the rebounding battle 36-30. Simms added 13 points, while Thomas and Rashad Lindsey scored 12 points apiece.
Jessie Govan scored 20 points and Peak had 18 for the Hoyas, who were only 3 of 18 from the arc. Georgetown did make 23 of 32 free throws, compared to ASU's 16 of 28.
SWAC MEN
GEORGE WASHINGTON 61, UAPB 41
Marcus Wallace and Ghiavonni Robinson scored nine points each to lead UAPB, but the Golden Lions could not overcome Tyler Cavanaugh's 18 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as George Washington remained undefeated at the Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, D.C.
The Colonials (3-0) shot 35.6 percent (16 of 45) from the floor, while holding the Golden Lions to 26.7 percent (16 of 60). George Washington hit 26 of its 41 free throws, and UAPB (1-2) hit 6 of its 11 free throws.
George Washington outrebounded UAPB 55-32, including a 14-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. The Colonials blocked 5 UAPB shots.
Kennedy McKinney had 7 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists for UAPB, and JoeRandle Toliver added 5 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
SOUTHLAND WOMEN
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 71, ALCORN STATE 57
Forward Taylor Strickland came off the bench to score 12 of her game-high 22 points in the second quarter to lead Central Arkansas to a victory in Lorman, Miss.
The Sugar Bears (2-1) outscored the Lady Braves 26-15 in the second quarter to build a 43-31 halftime lead. Alcorn State (0-3) cut the lead to six points in the fourth quarter, but Strickland scored eight points in an 11-0 run for UCA to put the game away.
"I'm really proud of [Strickland] -- she came in and really sparked us," UCA Coach Sandra Rushing said in a news release. "She did a great job on the boards, getting down the floor and shooting the basketball."
Central Arkansas shot 48.3 percent (29 of 60) from the floor, including 4-of-8 shooting from the three-point line. Alcorn State shot 35.1 percent (20 of 57) from the floor, but shot 45.5 percent (10 of 22) from the three-point line.
Maggie Proffitt had 18 points for Central Arkansas, and Taylor Baudoin added 12. Raquel Logan had 8 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 6 assists, while Brianna Mullins had 8 points, 4 rebounds and a game-high 8 assists.
Mullins became the seventh UCA player in the program's Division I era to score 1,000 career points.
Sports on 11/18/2016