The Arkansas State Red Wolves hosted an opening-night basketball doubleheader featuring the Lady Red Wolves against Central Baptist College and the men’s team against the UA-Monticello Boll Weevils. The home team notched a win in each, as both start the 2019-20 season with a 1-0 record.

The Arkansas State Red Wolves claimed an 88-63 victory in their home- and season-opener at the hands of the Central Baptist Mustangs. The game was never really in doubt, as A-State maintained control from the opening tip to the final buzzer.

The season started with a triple from Payton Tennison just ten seconds into the contest. Before the night was over, fans would have thought “Tennison for three” was the team’s slogan. The senior guard started the game off 7-for-7 from behind the arc, including a 12-point streak to open the game for the Red Wolves. She finished the contest 8-for-11 from deep with 26 points, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals, and 2 rebounds despite playing just 24 minutes.

“(Head coach Matt Daniel) took us to Fat City before the game, so he’s gotta keep that up,” Tennison said on her hot start. “The whole atmosphere was different than I’ve experienced in the last three years. It felt good. It was a good win, but we can’t celebrate for too long.”

The Red Wolves absolutely dominated the boards as Trinitee Jackson turned in 10 points and 17 rebounds for the Red Wolves while Morgan Wallace added 15 rebounds of her own. Peyton Martin tallied 11 points and 8 rebounds on the night.

Head coach Matt Daniel won his first game as head Red Wolf after being introduced as the school’s newest coach during the offseason.

“I’m glad to get the first win. We’ve got a quick turnaround for Tulsa. There’s a lot of room for growth, but to be 1-0 feels pretty good,” head coach Matt Daniel said. “My stomach was churning a little bit this morning, but it feels good to be back on the sidelines. I’m looking forward to (the season).”

The Lady Red Wolves (1-0) will travel to Tulsa Saturday for a non-conference matchup with the Golden Hurricane.

The Arkansas State Red Wolves toughed out a 65-49 victory over in-state Arkansas-Monticello Wednesday night at First National Bank Arena. Despite trailing early in the second half, A-State rallied for a relatively sizable win in their season opener.

“It was an excellent win for our team. Anytime you can get a win, it’s good. You have to protect your home court,” head coach Mike Balado said. “I knew this team was very good. I said it all week. I told our guys they had to be on high alert. I was concerned with our guys overlooking this opponent. It was a good test for us. I thought we played excellent defense throughout the game.”

After struggling to finish the first half, the Red Wolves came out flat in the second half, surrendering their lead along the way. With 15:48 left in the contest, the Red Wolves were looking at a 35-34 deficit. Then, some magic happened.

From that point, the Red Wolves went on a 16-0 spurt to blow the game wide open. The Boll Weevils went nearly 9 minutes without a single point, shooting 0-9 in the process thanks to a stout A-State defense. Once the Red Wolves gained steam, they never looked back.

“I feel like we started moving the ball a lot better and defending more agressively. We just played more physical and things started going our way,” J.J. Matthews said on the late run.

Four Red Wolves finished in double-figures. Canberk Kus led the squad with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Matthews added a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards, while Marquis Eaton and Christian Willis added 11 and 10 points respectively.

“I never come into games with a scoring mentality. I always come in to play defense and get rebounds and that gets me going,” Kus said.

The Red Wolves (1-0) are on the road next with a trip to Ole Miss on Friday.

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