Jihad Ali came off the bench to score 20 points and Josh Micheaux added 12 points and nine rebounds as Georgia State defeated Samford 55-47 on Tuesday night.
The Panthers (2-3) overcame a poor shooting night with a dominating effort on the glass. Georgia State managed just 36 percent from the field (18 of 50) but outrebounded Samford 43-27, including 16 offensive rebounds.
Georgia State took a 26-21 halftime lead, shooting only 30 percent (9 of 30), but outrebounding the Bulldogs 25-12.
Samford (0-3) didn't shoot much better, at 38.1 percent in the first half (8 of 21) and 36.7 percent (18 of 49) for the game.
The Panthers won their second straight game and first road game under first-year head coach Ron Hunter.
Georgia State led by as many as 13 points with 13:25 to play in the second half.
John Peterson led Samford with 14 points.
