PENSACOLA, Fla. — Justin Forrest had a season-high 20 points as Appalachian State topped Georgia Southern 73-60 in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Saturday night.
Donovan Gregory had 17 points and nine rebounds for Appalachian State (19-13). Adrian Delph added 13 points. Michael Almonacy had 11 points.
Kaden Archie had 17 points for the Eagles (13-16). Prince Toyambi added 10 points. Elijah McCadden had 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Big South Tournament
Winthrop 76, Gardner-Webb 67
CHARLOTTE — Cory Hightower had 20 points as Winthrop beat Gardner-Webb 76-67 in the semifinals of the Big South Conference Tourney on Saturday.
D.J. Burns Jr. had 14 points for Winthrop (23-8). Patrick Good added 10 points. Kelton Talford had 12 rebounds.
D’Maurian Williams had 22 points for the Runnin’ Bulldogs (18-13). Jordan Sears added 16 points. Lance Terry had 11 points.
Southern Conference Tournament
Samford 66, UNC Greensboro 64
ASHEVILLE — Samford led wire to wire, using 19 points from Logan Dye and Ques Glover to hold off UNC Greensboro in the second round of the Southern Conference Tournament on Saturday.
The Spartans trailed 44-22 at the break but rallied in the second half, cutting the lead to three with just under 13 minutes left, and then three again with 2:42 remaining when Dante Treacy hit a 3-pointer to make it 62-59. A Bas Leyte free throw with eight seconds left cut the Bulldogs’ (21-10) lead to one.
Glover made the second of two free throws with four seconds left to push Samford’s lead to two, and Kobe Langley’s 3-pointer with one second left was off the mark for UNCG (17-14). Four Spartans scored in double figures, led by Treacy’s 16 points and Leyte’s 14. De’Monte Buckingham had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Mohammad Abdulsalam added 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Regular season play
Florida State 89, NC State 76
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Caleb Mills returned from a five-game absence and scored 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, redshirt senior Anthony Polite had his first career double-double and Florida State never trailed as the Seminoles beat NC State 89-76 on Saturday in the regular season finale for both teams.
Polite finished with 13 points, a career-high tying 10 rebounds and two steals. Matthew Cleveland and John Butler scored 11 points apiece for Florida State (17-13, 10-10 ACC). Tanor Ngom added 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Terquavion Smith hit a pair of 3-pointers 41 seconds apart to make it 6-6 before Mills made a layup to spark an 11-4 spurt that gave the Seminoles the lead for good. About 10 minutes later, Jalen Warley made a 3-pointer and followed it up with a steal and layup for a 39-27 lead. The Wolfpack trailed by at least nine points throughout the second half.
Smith made 5 of 10 from 3-point range and finished with 30 points for NC State (11-19, 4-15). Jericole Hellems, who also hit five 3s, added 21 points, seven rebounds and two blocks and Dereon Seabron had 17 points and five assists. Seabron shot 3 of 12 from the field but made 10 of 12 from the free-throw line.
RayQuan Evans had five points, five rebounds and a career-high 10 assists for the Seminoles.
Florida State has won three consecutive games after losing seven of its previous eight while battling the injury bug. Polite missed Florida State’s final seven games in February before returning to the starting lineup and scoring 12 points in Wednesday’s victory over Notre Dame. Cleveland missed the 74-70 win over the Irish due to illness and Cam’Ron Fletcher suffered a season-ending thumb injury in the second half against the Irish.
Mills, who hadn’t played since suffering an ankle injury against North Carolina on Feb. 7, limped to the bench before missing the final 3-plus minutes. Reports after the game indicated that the injury is not serious.
NC State, which has lost 10 of its last 11, finished last in the 15-team ACC and plays No. 10 seed Clemson in the opening round of next week’s conference tournament.
Eighth-seeded Florida State, which earned a first-round bye, plays No. 9 seed Syracuse in Wednesday’s second round.
Charlotte 70, Southern Miss 67
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Jahmir Young scored 21 points including a 3-pointer for Charlotte’s final basket and an eight-point lead with a minute to go and the 49ers beat Southern Miss 70-67 on Saturday.
Austin Butler had 16 points for Charlotte (17-13, 10-8 Conference USA). Jackson Threadgill added 10 points.
Isaih Moore had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Golden Eagles (6-25, 1-17), who have now lost 14 consecutive games. DeAndre Pinckney added 17 points. Walyn Napper had 15 points.
Dayton 82, Davidson 76
DAYTON, Ohio — DaRon Holmes II had 20 points as Dayton won its eighth consecutive home game, defeating Davidson 82-76 on Saturday.
Koby Brea had 18 points for Dayton (22-9, 14-4 Atlantic 10 Conference). Kobe Elvis added 11 points and six assists. Malachi Smith had six assists.
Foster Loyer had 25 points for the Wildcats (25-5, 15-3), whose five-game win streak came to an end. Hyunjung Lee added 17 points and seven rebounds. Sam Mennenga had 14 points.
Wichita State 70, East Carolina 62
WICHITA, Kan. — Ricky Council IV had 20 points as Wichita State beat East Carolina 70-62 on Saturday.
Craig Porter Jr. had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Wichita State (15-12, 6-9 American Athletic Conference). Tyson Etienne added 12 points. Morris Udeze had 12 points.
Tristen Newton had 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Pirates (15-14, 6-11). Vance Jackson added 10 points.
