STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) – Senior guard Ike Smith scored 18 points and had the second of consecutive 3-pointers by Georgia Southern as the Eagles (7-4, 1-0 Sun Belt) scored the last seven points of the game to escape with a 67-64 win over Texas State (7-5, 0-1 Sun Belt) in the Sun Belt Conference opener on Thursday night at Hanner Fieldhouse.

A three-point play by senior forward Eric Terry at the 2:43 mark and senior guard Nijal Pearson's 3-pointer at 1:57 had put the Bobcats on top 64-60. But Ga. Southern's sophomore guard Calvin Wishart quickly answered with a 3-pointer with 1 1/2 minutes left.

Sophomore guard Mason Harrell missed the front end of a one-and-one, leading to Smith's triple at 1:07.

Texas State had a pair of turnovers, but the Eagles made just one of four free throws before Pearson's 3-pointer at the buzzer was off target.

Terry had 17 points for the Bobcats, junior forward Isiah Small added 16, and Pearson had 11 points and a game-high seven rebounds.

Senior guard David-Lee Jones Jr. had 15 points for Georgia Southern which earned its fifth consecutive home victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Texas State opened the game on an 11-0 run and led 16-1 at the 15:36 mark. They made their first seven shots of the game and turned the Eagles over five times in the opening five minutes.
• Texas State held scoreless for nearly five minutes as Ga. Southern used a 9-0 run to cut into the deficit 16-10. The Eagles ultimately ended the half on a 13-4 run highlighted by another 9-0 burst to take a 29-28 lead by halftime.
• Texas State used an 11-2 run that included a 6-0 run to build its lead back to 45-36. The Bobcats led by nine points on two other occasions which were the largest leads of the second half.
• Georgia Southern's 8-0 run tied the game at 54 and they took the lead at 57-56 from a made free-throw by sophomore guard Calvin Wishart. It was the Eagles' first lead since the 18:53 mark in the second half (31-30).
• The Eagles ended the game on a 7-0 run to secure the win and improve to 5-0 at home this season.
• The second half featured eight lead changes and five ties.
 
TEAM NOTES
• Texas State shot better than Georgia Southern in every aspect. They shot 51 percent (25-of-49) from the floor, had a .330 percentage from 3-point range (5-of-15) and 64 percent at the free-throw line (9-of-14).
• The Bobcats were outrebounded 37-22 and 14-3 on the offensive glass. The Eagles outscored the Bobcats in second-chance points 15-0.
• TXST is 3-1 this season when shooting over 50 percent from the field.
• Texas State is 1-5 this season when outrebounded by its opponent. They are 6-0 when the Bobcats outrebound the opposition.
• Texas State was outscored by the Georgia Southern bench 22-6. It is the first time this season the Bobcats' bench was outscored.
• The Bobcats are 4-3 in conference openers and 1-2 in road conference openers in the Danny Kaspar era. They are also 2-1 vs. Georgia Southern in conference openers.
• It is the Bobcats' second consecutive road loss this season.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Terry scored in double-digits in consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 21-23, 2019 vs. ULM (19) and Louisiana (13), respectively.
• Terry scored 10 or more points for the 20th time in his career with the Bobcats and led the Bobcats in scoring for the second time in his career.
• Small logged a season-high seven made field goals (7-of-12).
• Pearson sets a personal career-high with 12 consecutive games scoring 10 or more points.
• Pearson led the team in rebounding for the third time this season (36th time in his career).
• Sophomore guard Mason Harrell had nine points and matched Pearson and junior guard Marlin Davis with a team-high three assists, and sophomore guard Caleb Asberry with two steals.
• GS's Smith finished with four rebounds, one block, and one steal, while Jones Jr. also had four rebounds and a game-high three steals.
• Senior forward Simeon Carter and sophomore guard Elijah McCadden had seven and six rebounds, respectively, to lead the Eagles. Both players had six points and fouled out.
 
UP NEXT
The Bobcats end the conference-opening weekend vs. Georgia State at noon CT on Saturday, Dec. 21 at the GSU Sports Arena. The Panthers are 1-0 in conference play after defeating UT Arlington, 83-77.   
 
QUOTABLE
Head coach Danny Kaspar
On the team's rebounding…
"We lost a heartbreaker primarily because of our rebounding. That [rebounding] has hurt us in losses to Houston, UTSA, and now Georgia Southern. We have to be tougher and more tenacious in that aspect of the game."
 
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