The Red Wolves managed to win with 31 free throws

The Red Wolves managed to win with 31 free throws

JONESBORO – With its largest win in program history at then-No. 16 Memphis, Arkansas State overcame a first-half deficit to defeat Texas-Arlington in its penultimate non-conference game before an announced crowd of 4,914 at First National Bank Arena.

Arkansas State outscored Texas-Arlington 48-40 in the second half after trailing 39-35 at halftime. The Red Wolves went on a 15-0 run and took a 14-point lead with just under six minutes to play.

The Mavericks used a late 18-9 run to cut the deficit to 81-76 with less than a minute left, but Taryn Todd made two free throws with 18 seconds left to secure the win. Arkansas State spent much of the night at the free throw line, making 31 of 42 attempts, compared to just 9 of 21 attempts by Texas-Arlington. Kobe Julien scored 10 of his 14 points on free throws.

“I told our guys, if the other team makes a run and they make some big shots, we want to try to weather that storm by fouling out,” Arkansas State coach Bryan Hodgson said. “Getting to the free throw line is like a free time out. You want to get to the free throw line, and I think we did a good job of that.”

Todd led all scorers in the game with 23 points on 8 of 16 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. After scoring a career-high 22 points in the Red Wolves’ win over Memphis, Joseph Pinion scored 16 points against the Mavericks. Rashaud Marshall had 10 points in the win.

Texas-Arlington (4-6) hit 9 of 17 (52.9%) shots from three-point range in the first half. A three-pointer by Diante Smith midway through the half gave the Mavericks a 21-13 lead, their largest lead of the night.

Arkansas State (8-3) then went on a 10-3 run, capped by a Julien layup, to get within 24-23 with 6:31 left in the first half. A Pinion three-pointer with 1:33 left before halftime gave the Red Wolves a brief 35-34 lead, but Jaden Wells hit a three-pointer 14 seconds later to put the lead right back to the visitors.

Darius Burford hit a jump shot with 13 seconds left to send Texas-Arlington into halftime with a four-point lead. Wells, a transfer from Division II Central Oklahoma, scored a team-high 19 points to lead the Mavericks. Smith scored 15 points while Lance Ware and Raysean Seamster scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

“That’s a really good basketball team we just played,” Hodgson said of Texas-Arlington. “Just like last year, these (games like) will pay off for us in the long run. We are lucky to win this game at home and be unbeaten at home.”

With the game tied at 15:33 of the second half, Pinion made his second three-pointer to give the Red Wolves their first lead of the half.

After Pinion was fouled while shooting a three-point shot, he made all three free throws, extending Arkansas State’s lead to 64-58. On the Red Wolves’ next two possessions, Todd hit a three-pointer and followed it up with a driving dunk that fired up the crowd to take a 69-58 lead with 7:48 left.

A three-pointer by Avery Felts at 6:06 of the second half was the final basket of a 15-0 series that put the Red Wolves in control by a 72-58 lead. Texas-Arlington cut the lead to 78-71 when Wells drained a three-pointer with 1:36 left, but Arkansas State held off the late comeback attempt.

“These are disappointing games, aren’t they?” said Hodgson. “I told our guys that we can’t be leaders. We can’t go in and beat a team like Memphis on the road and then come home and lay an egg. Winning college basketball games at this level like we plan to do is not easy.”

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