RUSTON, La. (AP) — Olu Ashaolu scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Louisiana Tech snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 51-45 win over Georgia State on Saturday.
Georgia State trailed 23-10 but finished the first half on a 13-3 run to close the gap to 26-23 at the break. In the second half the Panthers led briefly, at 32-31 after a Rashaad Richardson layup with 15:13 remaining, but the Bulldogs led the rest of the way. The lead was never more than six points after that.
Both teams shot poorly, with Georgia State making only 17 of 50 and Louisiana Tech making 14 of 38. The Bulldogs, however, were 17 of 27 from the foul line.
Lonnie Smith added 14 points and Kenyon McNeaill had 10 for the Bulldogs (12-16).
Ali Jihad scored eight points for the Panthers (11-16), who have been held to 45 points or less in two straight games.
