Georgia State advances in Cayman Islands Classic

Nov 20, 2018, 12:19 am

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands -- D'Marcus Simonds had 25 points and seven rebounds, helping Georgia State beat St. Bonaventure 75-65 on Monday night in the Cayman Islands Classic.

Simonds, the Sun Belt preseason player of the year, was 11 of 20 from the field, including 2 of 6 from beyond the arc.

Malik Benlevi added 13 points for Georgia State (3-1), and Nelson Phillips had 12 points and nine rebounds. The Panthers play in the semifinal round on Tuesday.

Georgia State led 37-32 at the break after holding the Bonnies to 36 percent shooting. A Simonds 3-pointer put the Panthers ahead 56-40, but St. Bonaventure made back-to-back 3-pointers to cut it to 10. Jeff Thomas answered with a 3-pointer and Georgia State led by at least eight the rest of the way.

Jalen Poyser, who sat out last season after transferring from UNLV, made five 3-pointers and scored 23 points for St. Bonaventure (1-3). Freshman Kyle Lofton added three 3-pointers and 13 points. Nelson Kaputo had 11 and freshman Alpha Okoli 10.