ATLANTA – Georgia State scored the final eight points of the contest and hit a 3-pointer with 9.0 seconds on the clock to defeat the University of South Alabama men's basketball team 78-77 Saturday afternoon at the GSU Sports Arena.

The Panthers even their Sun Belt Conference record at 1-1 and improve to 8-6 overall. The Jaguars fall to 8-7 and 1-1.

"Overall I thought we put ourselves in position to win the basketball game," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "We made plays, got to the free-throw line – we didn't make as many as I would like, but we weren't settling for shooting a bunch of 3s – and we attacked inside. We did a good job defensively on (Jeremy) Hollowell for the most part, but at the end we made too many mistakes that really cost us."

South Alabama hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final two minutes, the second one coming from senior Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) with 1:35 left in the contest to go up 77-70. It would be the Jags' final points of the afternoon.

The comeback started on the Panthers' next possession. Devin Mitchell was fouled in the act on a 3-point attempt and converted all three with 1:13 remaining,

USA turned the ball over while attempting to inbound the ball, and Malik Benlevi, who had 15 second-half points, made both free-throw attempts to draw within two points with 1:02 left.

A shot-clock violation marked South Alabama's next possession, and Georgia State took over with 31.7 seconds left. Mitchell nailed a corner '3' with less than 10 seconds left and a late attempt from junior Shaq Calhoun (Rome, Ga.) was off the mark.

"At the end of the day, we need to have guys step up and make plays, and unfortunately we didn't do that," Graves stated. "My job as the head coach is to put guys in a better position where they feel comfortable making those plays. We have to learn from it and move forward; we have a quick turnaround."

South Alabama had 18 turnovers – its second-most of the year – and committed two in the final 1:11 which led to five Georgia State points.

"We had six at halftime and five in the first four minutes of the second half," Graves noted. "We've got to do a better job of taking care of the basketball. When we get shot opportunities, I like our chances, but tonight, turnovers were very costly, especially down the stretch."

Calhoun paced all scorers with 20 points on a career-high-tying five 3-pointers. He scored eight of the team's final 12 points.

"I thought Shaq played extremely well and made a big '3' as the shot clock was winding down," Graves said. "He played hard and did some nice things."

Freshman Josh Ajayi (El Monte, Calif.) was the only other Jaguar in double-digit points with 17, and shot 8 for 12 from the floor. Senior Don MuepoKelly (Fontana, Calif.) had a game-best 12 rebounds.

"Josh did a great job of scoring around the rim and got Hollowell in foul trouble," Graves said. "That's what Josh needs to do – score around the rim and play physically. I thought he did a good job and Don did a good job rebounding for us today.

Benlevi posted a team-high 19 points, and Jeremy Hollowell and Jeff Thomas tallied 15 points each. Benlevi went 6 for 8 from the field, grabbed six rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.

South Alabama completes its road swing through Georgia with a 6 p.m. CST start Monday night at Georgia Southern.

NOTES: The Jaguars have lost six in a row in Atlanta, dating back to 1982… Calhoun has scored 20 or more three times this season, the most by any USA player this year… Calhoun has hit five 3-pointers in a game twice this season, the only Jag to do so… USA went 11 for 23 from 3-point land, setting a new season high in 3-point percentage (.478) and tying its season high in long-range conversions… Ajayi has scored in double-digits five times in his last six games and is averaging 11.3 points while shooting 54.0 percent from the floor over that span… Eight of the nine Jaguars who played today recorded an assist, with junior Dederick Lee (Clarksville, Ark.) tying his season high with four… Calhoun and Lee tallied three steals apiece; Lee set a new career high while Calhoun recorded three for the second straight game and third time in his last four outings… Georgia State won the second-chance points battle 20-6 – despite having just two more offensive rebounds than South Alabama – and the bench points 39-20… USA's opponents have won the bench points twice in the last three games, recording the top two totals of the year… The Jags lost for the third time this season when outshooting their opponent (48.2%-45.8%), dropping their record to 6-3; the team has won 73.5 percent of the time under Graves when posting a higher field goal percentage… South Alabama fell to 8-2 on the year when leading or tied at halftime, and 6-1 when leading with a minute left in regulation… USA committed more turnovers than its opponent for just the second time this season (0-2 record)… MuepoKelly has a team-best four double-digit rebounding games this year, and his 12 rebounds tie his and the team's season high.

The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy.  New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from your school's ticket office.  For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the #FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.

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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