Red Wolves clinch Sunbelt Conference regular season title

A-State notches big win over Louisiana-Monroe

From Arkansas State University

astateredwolves.com

MONROE, La. – Five players scored in double figures, while the Arkansas State men's basketball team had 23 assists to just three turnovers on Friday night, closing out the regular season with a 9467 win at ULM inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

The Red Wolves (22-9, 13-5 SBC), which clinched the program's first regular-season conference title since 1998, outscored the Warhawks (724, 3-15) 43-15 over the final 14-plus minutes to earn their eighth road victory of the season – the most since eight in 1986-87. A-State's 13 conference wins is its most since 1997-98 and the second most in school history, regardless of league affiliation. The 22 regular-season victories are the second most wins ever by an A-State team in a single season.

A-State shot 48.1 percent (3777) from the field and hit 13of-40 from 3-point range (32.5%), while out-rebounding the Warhawks 46-30. In the second half, the Scarlet and Black shot at a 58.3-percent clip in the second half.

Joseph Pinion led all players with 21 points on 7-of-15, including four made 3-pointers.

Taryn Todd added 14 points, while Izaiyah Nelson registered his fifth straight doubledouble with 13 points and 19 rebounds. Off the bench, Derrian Ford posted 12 points and eight rebounds, and Dyondre Dominguez had 11 points.

Terrance Ford Jr. scored six points, but handed out 10 assists to just one turnover.

ULM shot 41 percent (25-61) from the floor and went 9-for-19 (47.4 percent) from deep and was led by Tyreese Wat-

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son's 19 points. Makai Willis had a double-double for the Warhawks with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

The teams traded baskets for much of the first half, and neither led by more than two possessions until Pinion knocked down a three and sparked a 19-2 run to end the half to lead 41-28 at the break. Fourteen of those 19 points were over a span of over four minutes in which ULM was held scoreless. The Red Wolves did not turn the ball over the first half and held a 28-18 lead on the glass. ULM chipped away at the deficit early in the second half, taking a 52-51 lead when Willis nailed a trey to cap an 11-0 run with 14:25 left. Todd sparked a 13-2 run with a three that put A-State back up by double digits, and a Pinion layup later made it a 19-point affair with under eight minutes to play. The Warhawks cut the deficit back to 14 after a Watson trey, but the Red Wolves scored 15 of the game's final 17 points to put the contest and the title win away.

Next Up

Arkansas State has clinched the No. 4 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Championship, and will play in the quarterfinal round set for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, inside the Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla.

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