An Arkansas State men’s basketball team won inside Strahan Arena for the first time in a decade, with the Red Wolves downing Texas State 79-72 Saturday afternoon.
A-State (8-11, 4-3 SBC) never trailed in the second half en route to picking up its second straight win over the Bobcats (7-12, 1-6). The victory marked the program’s first win in San Marcos since Jan. 4, 2014.
Seven Red Wolves scored seven points or more, led by Avery Felts’ 17 points on 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Taryn Todd and Julian Lual added 13 points apiece off the bench, while Dyondre Dominguez scored 12 points with a game-high nine rebounds.
As a team, A-State hit 11-of-31 from 3-point range and went 17-for-20 at the foul line, while forcing 13 turnovers in the contest.
Jordan Mason led the Bobcats with a game-high 21 points, while Kaden Gumbs and Brandon Love scored 12 and 10, respectively. Texas State shot 45.3 percent (24-53) for the game and hit on just three of nine attempts from 3-point range.
The hosts struck first and clinged to a one-score lead until Freddy Hicks hit a layup at the 6:35 mark to cap a 7-2 run. After the Bobcats rallied to tie it at 24 with 6:07 remaining in the half, the Red Wolves caught heated up from the perimeter, hitting six from deep in the final six minutes of the half – including three by Felts in the final two minutes to lead 43-36 at intermission.
Texas State surged to a 7-0 run to open the second half, but the Scarlet and Black answered with three straight from deep to push its lead back out to nine. After the Bobcats rallied back to tie it at 62 with 7:08 to play, a three-point play by Hicks put the Red Wolves up for good with 5:25 remaining. A-State would move its lead back out to seven in the final minute, converting clutch free throws at the line.
NEXT UP
Arkansas State continues its road swing next Thursday at Louisiana. Tip-off against the Ragin’ Cajuns inside the Cajundome in Lafayette, La., is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN Plus while the radio broadcast can be heard across the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network as well as the A-State Athletics mobile app.
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