Red Wolves rally, fall short against Trojans

UALR beats A-State in battle of in-state colleges

From Arkansas State University

astateredwolves.com LITTLE ROCK — Despite trailing by 11 at halftime, the Arkansas State men’s basketball team rallied back to tie the game late before coming up short in a 90-87 setback at Little Rock Saturday.

Marquis Eaton led A-State (15-10, 7-7 Sun Belt) with a gamehigh 25 points and five assists while Caleb Fields added 15 points.

J.J. Matthews had 11 points and eight rebounds and Malik Brevard had 11 points and six boards. Markquis Nowell led Little Rock (18-7, 12-2 Sun Belt) with 24 points.

A-State shot 52 percent (29-56) from the field and 50 percent (11-22) beyond the arc, but was outscored 3018 at the stripe. The Red Wolves shot 75 percent (18-24) at the line, but the Trojans were 30-of-35 (86 percent). Little Rock finished 43 percent (2558) from the field and 43 percent (10-23) from 3-point range. The Trojans had a 36-32 edge on the glass, but outscored Little Rock 30-28 in the paint.

The Red Wolves used a 16-3 run to get within one, 55-54, with 13:11 to play. The Red Wolves later tied the game at 75 with 4:24 to play. The Trojans reeled off the next four points and knocked down free throws down the stretch to keep A-State at bay. The Red Wolves cut the deficit to one on three different occasions down the stretch, but Little Rock hit free throws to come out victorious.

The first half featured nine lead changes and six ties before the Trojans used a 17-3 run to break the game open.

Eaton hit a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to cut the halftime deficit to 11, 47-36.

Arkansas State returns to action tonight on the road, taking on the University of Texas-Arlington at 7:00 p.m.