Arkansas State women’s basketball (7-7, 3-1 SBC) did not trail for the entirety of the game against Texas State (7-7, 1-3 SBC), breaking away for a 66-50 victory on Wednesday night at Strahan Arena.
Kennedie Montue led the team with 15 points and six rebounds, joining Zyion Shannon (12) and Crislyn Rose (11) in the double-digit club. As a team, the Red Wolves shot 23-for-57 (40.7 percent) from the floor and 11-for-29 (37.9 percent) from beyond the arc.The Scarlet and Black have drained 10-or-more three-pointers in seven games this season, owning a 7-0 record in those contests.
Strong defense from A-State highlighted the first quarter, holding Texas State to four points on layups and the rest on free throws. On the flip side, the Red Wolves scored 11 of the first 15 points, eventually opening an 18-8 advantage before a last-second layup made the score 18-10 to end the first.
Montue, Rose, and Shannon drained one shot from beyond the arc in the quarter, while Rose netted all seven of her first half points in the opening period.
After pushing the lead back to 10, the Scarlet and Black surrendered a 9-2 run off three layups and a three-pointer, cutting the lead to three points. Montue erased the triple with one of her own while Wynter Rogers extended the lead back to eight with a layup.
Texas State scored eight of the final 10 points in the second, but A-State entered halftime with a 30-27 lead.
The Red Wolves outrebounded their opponents 21-16 and held them to one three-point basket in the first half.However, the Bobcats held the advantage in free throws, draining eight compared to three for the Scarlet and Black.
Texas State erased an early eight-point advantage in the third to tie the game at 35-35 with 4:27 to go. However, Montue put A-State back in front with a three-pointer, drew a charge, and drained another triple to open a six-point lead.Rose closed the penultimate period with a layup and one-of-two free throws to make the score 46-37 in favor of the Scarlet and Black.
The knockout blow came in the form of an 18-2 run early in the fourth. The Bobcats were limited to one bucket over the next 6:23 as A-State held a firm 64-41 advantage going into the final stretch.The Red Wolves would be outscored 9-2 after the 3:26 mark, but it would not make a difference as A-State snapped a five-game losing streak on the road.
NEXT UP
A-State plays ULM in the backend of a two-game road trip on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 2:00 p.m. inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Listeners can find the game on 95.3/96.9 The Ticket Radio Network while viewers can watch on ESPN+.
