Men's Basketball Tops Georgia State 63-60

ATLANTA, Ga. – In a game that saw 12 ties and 10 lead changes, Imo Essien hit a fall away jumper with seven seconds left and Old Dominion held on for a 63-60 Sun Belt Conference victory over Georgia State on Thursday night.
 
After ODU held a 29-22 halftime lead, Georgia State (10-15, 3-10) started the second half on an 11-2 run to take a 33-31 lead on a Jamaine Mann jumper with 16:21 left. The margin was never more than three points for the next 13 minutes as Mekhi Long hit a pair of free throws to put ODU (15-10, 7-6) up 46-43 at the 9:59 mark.
 
Ja'Heim Hudson evened the game up on a pull up jumper and going 1-of-2 from the line for a 46-46 score 34 seconds later. From there till the under four media timeout, neither team held more than a two-point advantage.
 
Coming out of that media time out, Ben Stanley put ODU up 54-53 hitting a pair of free throws with 3:59 remaining, which started the Monarchs on a 6-0 spurt over the next minute. Chaunce Jenkins converted a three-point play and Tyreek Scott-Grayson hit a driving layup with 2:58 on the clock as ODU held a 59-53 lead.
 
The hosts had one more run in them as Dwon Odom hit a step back jumper and Hudson converted a three-point play to trim the deficit to 59-58 with 1:40 left.
 
Scott-Grayson responded with a jumper in the paint to go up 61-58 with 88 seconds showing on the clock. A put-back by Kalik Brooks pulled Georgia State to 61-60 with 57 seconds to set up the last points. The hosts went to the line with 36 seconds, but Odom missed a pair and Long grabbed his 12^th rebound of the night.
 
ODU set up and Essien dribbled and pulled up from the corner as the shot clock was expiring and drained a jumper with seven seconds. Odom was fouled with two seconds and he missed a pair of free throws as Essien grabbed the rebound to seal the ODU victory.
 
Scott-Grayson had 16 points and four assists to lead ODU, while Long had his fifth straight double-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots and Jenkins added 11 points.
 
"We kept hanging in.  As bad as we were earlier (starting 1-for-12 from the floor), we couldn't do anything, but fortunately they were just about as bad," said ODU Head Coach Jeff Jones.  "We finally got going and just emphasized play hard, compete and stay together. We got some offensive boards, got to the line, just daggone glad we got it going."