Game Highlights (VIDEO)


RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO -- An 18-0 run over the final 4:47 of the first half helped lift Georgia State (2-2) to a 74-53 win over the Highlanders (2-3) on Tuesday afternoon at Hard Rock Riviera Maya Hotel in the opening game of the Cancun Challenge.
 
Following a free throw from senior Tim Coleman that gave the Highlanders a 27-21 lead, the Panthers embarked on the 18-0 run kicked off by a jumper from Jeremy Hollowell.
 
The run allowed Georgia State to take control of the game as they held a 39-27 advantage heading into the locker room.
 
NJIT would not get any closer than eight in the second half and that came after they scored the first four points of the final stanza to make it a 39-31 game with 18:28 remaining.
 
Senior Damon Lynn led the way for the Highlanders offensively with 15 points while fellow senior Osa Izevbuwa chipped in with 13 on 5-of-7 shooting, including a 3-of-5 performance from beyond the arc. Coleman added seven points and eight rebounds for head coach Brian Kennedy's squad.
 
The 13 points for Izevbuwa are the most since he scored 14 in a win vs. Fisher College on Feb. 7, 2015.
 
Freshman D'Marcus Simonds did the heavy lifting offensively for Georgia State with a career-high 26 points, while Isaiah Dennis added 10 points of his own and Willie Clayton contributed eight points and nine rebounds.
 
As a team, the Panthers shot 32-of-56 (57.1%) from the field. Meanwhile, NJIT entered the game leading the Atlantic Sun in scoring at 85.3 ppg, but shot just 34.0%. 
 
The Highlanders came storming out of the gate in this one as they scored the first five points and held a 10-4 advantage at the first media timeout.
 
After a layup from GSU's Isaiah Williams, NJIT quickly responded with a 6-0 spurt capped by a three-pointer from Coleman to open up a 16-6 advantage with 12:59 to play in the first half.
 
The game marked the first time that the Highlanders had played on a neutral court since a loss to Texas-Pan Am in the opening round of the 2013 Great West Tournament.
 
With the loss, the Highlanders will play in the Consolation game of the Cancun Challenge on Wednesday afternoon against the loser of the Idaho State/Eastern Kentucky tilt. Opening tip is set for 12:30 p.m. at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya Hotel. 


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry