A-State drops SBC Tournament final to Troy
Red Wolves accept NIT invite, set to host St.
Louis in opening round
From A-State Media
astateredwolves.com
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Arkansas State men's basketball led by as much as eight in the second half, but a furious rally by Troy proved to be the difference as the Trojans
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PENSACOLA, Fla. – Arkansas State men's basketball led by as much as eight in the second half, but a furious rally by Troy proved to be the difference as the Trojans pulled away to win 94-81 Monday in the final of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament inside the Pensacola Bay Center.
The Red Wolves (24-10) led 43-41 at the break, but Troy (23-10) owned a 53-38 advantage in the final 20 minutes and scored 46 points in the paint.
Five players scored in double digits for A-State, which shot 41.3 percent (26-63) from the field and hit 10-of-26 (.385) from 3-point range. Dyondre Dominguez (19 points) and Derrian Ford (17) combined for 36 points off the bench, both hitting a trio from downtown. Terrance Ford Jr. added 11 points and seven assists, while Kobe Julien and Joseph Pinion scored 10 apiece.
Troy shot 46.7 percent (2860) from the floor and converted 33-of-39 (.846) from the free-throw line. Tayton Conerway (21 points) and Myles Rigsby (20) led the Trojans in scoring, while Thomas Dowd and Jackson Fields accounted for 14 and 10 each.
The Trojans led for the game's first 15 minutes until Ford Jr. sparked an 8-0 run to level the score at 30-all with 4:59 left in the half. A Dominguez trey put A-State up 36-34 with 2:51 remaining, but Troy answered to reclaim a 39-38 edge inside a minute to go.
The lead seesawed back and forth twice more, but Ford knocked down a trey with 24 seconds left, giving the Scarlet and Black a 43-41 lead at intermission.
Another trey by Ford with 10:07 left in the outing gave A-State its largest lead of the night, but Troy mounted a 244 run to pull ahead by double digits. The Trojans managed to convert late foul shot opportunities and hit critical shots inside the seal the contest.
Red Wolves Selected to 2025 NIT, Will Host Saint Louis in First Round tonight
For the second consecutive season, the Arkansas State men's basketball team is set to compete in the postseason, as it was selected to the 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Red Wolves (24-10) – seeded third in the Dallas Region – are making back-toback postseason appearances for the first time in 36 years and will host Saint Louis in the first round. Tip-off for the contest against the Billikens (19-14) is set for 8 p.m. CT inside First National Bank Arena and will be nationallytelevised on ESPNU. Tuesday's tilt will be A-State's sixth game on national TV this season and third at home.
With its inclusion in the 32team field, A-State is making its fifth all-time appearance in the NIT and its first since 1991, owning a 4-4 record in the event. It will be the program's seventh appearance in the postseason in its Division I era (since 1975), going 6-6 in 12 contests after a 2-1 mark in last year's College Basketball Invitational.
The Scarlet and Black last hosted a postseason contest in the 1991 NIT, topping Rice 78-71 en route to the tournament quarterfinals.
Tuesday's meeting will be the 12th all-time meeting between A-State and Saint Louis, with the Billikens holding a 10-1 all-time lead in the series. The teams last met on Dec. 22, 2011, with SLU winning 7046 in St. Louis.
Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased by visiting or contacting the First National Bank Arena box office at (870) 972-2781, and digital tickets will be available in the A-State Athletics app.
A link to purchase online will be posted to Arkansas State Athletics' official social media accounts. Tickets are $25 adults, $15 for A-State students and youth 17 and under.
General admission parking will be available for $10 in the lots directly surrounding First National Bank Arena.
Parking passes will be available for purchase in advance by calling the box office as well as AStateRedWolves.com/tickets.
Fans with season tickets located in premium areas, including suites and courtside, will have first opportunity to purchase those seats for the $25 adult and $15 youth prices. Those seats will be held until 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 18, before being made available to general public.
Questions regarding tickets can be directed to the Red Wolves Foundation at (870) 972-2401.
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For the latest on the A-State men's basketball program, follow @AStateMB on Twitter/ X and @astatemb on Instagram, while also liking the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateMB.
Photo courtesy of the Arkansas State Red Wolves
