BOX SCORE
GEORGE TOWN, GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS – Junior guard D’Marcus Simonds, the preseason Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, scored 25 points to pace a balanced attack as Georgia State stopped St. Bonaventure in the opening round of the Cayman Islands Classic Monday night.
Georgia State, which moved to 3-1, advances to Tuesday’s semifinal round, playing the winner of the Boise State-Creighton game.
“I though defensively we really stepped up tonight,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “To force 18 turnovers against a very good A-10 team shows me how good we can be. I’m equally impressed with the continued improvement of Nelson Phillips. He has the ability to be a very special player and showed that tonight.”
Hunter, who is in his eighth year at the helm of the Panthers, picked up his 150th win as the head coach of Georgia State.
Junior guard Jalen Poyser, hitting a game-high five three-point baskets led St. Bonaventure with 23 points, including 13 in the second half.
After a three-point basket by Poyser pulled the Bonnies within 27-23, reserve Nelson Phillips scored five straight points to give Georgia State a 32-23 lead.
Phillips finished with a career-high 12 points and a career-high nine rebounds.
Two free throws by Poyser with 19:21 left pulled St. Bonaventure within 37-34 but that would be the closest the Bonnies would get the remainder of the game.
A three-point basket by Simonds gave Georgia State its biggest lead of the game at 55-40 with 12:56 left.
Georgia State forced St. Bonaventure (1-3) into 18 turnovers, capitalizing those miscues into 23 points.
“We lost to a veteran team tonight that gave us a lot of problems with the pressure they put on us,” said St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt. “We just turned it over too much to give ourselves a real chance. Credit Georgia State, they took advantage. I thought we did some good things and obviously we are undermanned right now, but no excuses. We’ll be ready to play tomorrow.”
The Panthers shot 50.8 percent (30-59) from the floor, while St. Bonaventure hit 36.2 percent (21-58).
St. Bonaventure did outrebound Georgia State, 37-35. Junior center Amadi Ikpeze grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.