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MOBILE, Ala. – Georgia State's R.J. Hunter scored 21 of his game-high 30 points in the first half and made five 3-pointers to lead the Panthers to a 73-63 victory over the University of South Alabama men's basketball team Saturday afternoon at the Mitchell Center.

The Jaguars drop to 6-9 overall and 0-2 in Sun Belt Conference play while the Panthers mirror USA's record at 9-6 and 2-0.

"Obviously I'm disappointed in the start of conference play; 0-2 is certainly not where you want to be, but if these are the two best teams then we're not that far off," Jaguar head coach Matthew Graves said. "I didn't want our guys to be satisfied because they're going to hear those are the two best teams; well, who knows? We're two games in and we're trending in the wrong direction and there's no question about that. We have to be a lot more disciplined and play with a better purpose."

Hunter went 6-for-12 from the field overall and 5-for-9 from long range, and converted all 13 free throw attempts.

"That's what an all-league player is supposed to do," Graves said. "He comes in and is aggressive and plays with a chip on his shoulder. I think he was excited to come here on the road and prove that he is one of the best players in the league. I don't think there was any doubt tonight who the best player on the floor was."

Despite Hunter's 21 first-half points and GSU's eight treys before halftime, the Jaguars only trailed by three at the break, but a 7-0 Georgia State run to open the second period made it a 46-36 ball game.

Later, a putback by Jaguar senior Augustine Rubit (Houston, Texas) and two free throws from freshman Aakim Saintil (Roselle, N.J.) cut GSU's lead to eight, but another 7-0 run by the Panthers—on a 3-pointer from Manny Atkins and four three throws from Hunter—gave them their largest lead of the game (61-46).

The Jags responded with seven unanswered points of their own, finished off with a 3-pointer from freshmen Ken Williams (Manvel, Texas), and at the 2:43 mark, cut the deficit to 68-61 after another Williams triple.

Hunter went 3-for-3 at the free throw on GSU's next trip down the floor, and after a USA miss, Markus Crider hit a layup for an insurmountable 73-61 lead with 1:26 left.

"I challenged them the other night," Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter said. "We weren't aggressive Thursday night like we were early in the season, and I challenged their intensity. In this league, you better come with some intensity, and I thought from the start we had great intensity. I tell these kids that we play with a chip on our shoulder, and this is a group that plays with that chip on their shoulder. We don't get the credit we think we deserve, and we don't want anyone giving us anything."

Georgia State used a 13-3 run late in the first half to take the lead for good. Devonta White started it off with a trey and Hunter poured in the next five, getting two at the line before adding a triple of his own. White accounted for the final five points in the run, hitting a jumper and 3-pointer on consecutive possessions.

Atkins and White scored 14 points each for the Panthers. White also dished out four assists.

Williams recorded 11 of his career-high 19 points after halftime and hit a personal-best five 3-pointers in 10 attempts. He went scoreless Thursday against Western Kentucky and had scored 17 points total in his previous five games.

"I was really encouraged," Graves said of Williams' performance. "It was nice to see Ken make some shots and hopefully this will give him confidence as we move forward. It's always good for a shooter to see shots go in. I was really proud that he was able to step up and make some shots. It really started and I'm going to tell him this: early in the game he was attacking the basket and not settling for that '3' early in the game. I liked his mindset in that regard and hopefully his shooting will continue to carry over."

Rubit recorded his sixth double-double of the year with 11 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. Ammons fell just short of a double-double of his own with nine points and eight rebounds, but added three blocks.

"I think both of those guys were probably a little to unselfish if you want to call it that for now," Graves said. "They need to be more assertive when they get the ball. They need to go through guys and take guys up there with them. I told them I can't remember the last time we had an 'and-1' finish. We drove it in three or four times tonight and they may have called the foul or may have not and we're still missing the shot. We just have to have a more aggressive, attacking mentality when we're going to the rim."

The Jaguars hit the road on Thursday, traveling to Arkansas-Little Rock for a 7 p.m. tip.

NOTES: South Alabama has lost four straight games for the first time since the 2010-11 season… Hunter's 21 points are the most in a half by any USA opponent this season, and tie the most by any player in a half since FIU's Marvin Roberts had 26 on Dec. 31, 2009... Hunter set a new Mitchell Center record by going 13-for-13 at the charity stripe, and the 13 makes are tied for second… GSU as a team went 24-for-26 (92.3%), which is second in arena history… Georgia State went 8-for-14 on 3-pointers and 3-for-13 on 2-pointers in the first half… The Panthers' 3-point performance came against the 16th-ranked 3-point defense in the nation; the Jaguars were allowing the opposition to convert 27.9 percent from behind the arc coming into the game… GSU grabbed just two offensive rebounds for three second-chance points… The Panthers, who rank second in the nation with only 8.9 turnovers per game, had five for the contest and none after halftime… Ammons tied his season high with three blocks.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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