Appalachian State starts fast, beats Georgia State 76-67

BOONE, N.C. (AP) Frank Eaves had 25 points and Ronshad Shabazz added 20 as Appalachian State took an early lead and held off Georgia State 76-67 on Thursday night.

Eaves, who was 5 of 12 from beyond the arc, has now scored over 1,000 career points. Shabazz nailed 3 of 5 from long range as the Mountaineers made 12 of 26 treys. Chris Burgess added 12 points for Appalachian State (5-13, 3-4 Sun Belt Conference), which has won three of its last four games. The Mountaineers had dropped nine consecutive games before beating Texas State 76-56 on January 9.

Appalachian State sprinted to a 38-22 halftime advantage. Georgia State, which won the second period 45-38, closed the gap to 66-57 with 2:09 left but could get no closer.

Isaiah Dennis had 18 points and Jeff Thomas added 17 for Georgia State (12-5, 5-3), which has lost two of its last three games.