LAFAYETTE, La. -- Ike Smith scored 28 points and Georgia Southern beat Louisiana-Lafayette 81-76 on Saturday night for its fifth straight win.
The Eagles took the lead for good with 12:50 left, and had a 10-point lead with five minutes to play. Louisiana-Lafayette used a 15-9 spurt to pull to 75-71 with 30 seconds left. Mike Hughes and Tookie Brown each made a pair of free throws to stretch the Eagles' lead to 79-73. The Ragin' Cajuns' Jay Wright made a 3-pointer, and then Hughes made two more from the free-throw line to seal it.