Arkansas State knocked down 14 3-pointers, but Jackson State hit key free throws down the stretch to escape with a 75-71 win over the Red Wolves Tuesday night inside First National Bank Arena.
A-State (2-5) clung to a 3-point lead at intermission, but the Tigers (2-6) went 18-for-21 at the foul line in the final 20 minutes. JSU’s Ken Evans led all players with 32 points on 9-of-16 from the field and 12-of-13 at the line.
Derrian Ford paced the Scarlet and Black with a career-high 14 points, five rebounds and two assists, knocking down three treys in the effort. Taryn Todd added 12 points while Terrance Ford Jr. dropped nine points with five assists and four boards in his season debut.
As a team, A-State shot 38.9 percent (21-54) from the floor and 41.2 percent (14-34) from the perimeter, but Jackson State won the rebounding battled 44-30.
The Tigers scored the game’s first five points, but Terrance Ford Jr. knocked down his first shot attempt of the season – a trey to put the Red Wolves ahead by two.
A-State then caught fire from the perimeter en route to taking a 10-point lead with 8:41 remaining in the first half, stringing together five treys to lead 21-11. Derrian Ford led the way with 10 points at the break as the Red Wolves clung to a 38-35 lead at the break.
Jackson State came out with five unanswered points to start the second half, but one of Avery Felts’ three treys capped a 13-4 run that put A-State back ahead by seven. After JSU pulled within one, Todd drained a trey at the 11:36 mark to once again make it a two-score affair.
After the sides traded leads following the under-8 media timeout, Caleb Fields drove in a bucket to make it 66-64 with 5:53 to play. The Red Wolves held the visitors to without a field goal for nearly nine minutes before a dunk by Romelle Mansel served as the game’s final score.
NEXT UP
Arkansas State remains in the Natural State for its next contest, traveling to the capital city for a rivalry showdown against Little Rock on Friday. Tip-off against the Trojans is slated for 6:30 p.m. inside the Jack Stephens Center.
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