LITTLE ROCK -- Arkansas State rode a season-high 13 3-pointers to make up for a poor shooting night at the free throw line to earn a 70-62 road win over Little Rock Saturday at the Jack Stephens Center.
Little Rock (5-15, 2-5 Sun Belt Conference) had a chance to pull away early, but momentum swung back in favor of the Red Wolves (7-13, 2-5). The Trojans had the largest lead of the game at 19-6 less than nine minutes into the game before Arkansas State's long-range shooting heated up. Wes Flanigan, head coach of the Trojans, said his team full of freshmen and sophomores became too relaxed with the lead.
"When they have momentum, they are a tough team to stop," Flanigan said. "We saw that on tape against Wichita State, one of the better teams in the country. They put 50 on them in the first half and it was a close game.
"They got the momentum and continued from there to play very well on offense. We just did not execute on our offensive end."
A free throw by Marquis Eaton, back-to-back 3-pointers by Connor Kern and a third by Grantham Gillard saw the Red Wolves cut the lead to 19-16 with 7:19 remaining in the first half. Arkansas State's first-year coach Mike Balado said his team started the game poorly.
"I thought they started off a little slow to start the game," Balado said. "The game really ignited some fire under us. Grantham, Connor Kern, Tomas (Bruce) and Marquis Eaton came in and gave us excellent minutes. I think that was the key to the game."
Another 3-pointer by Gillard cut the lead to two points at 21-19. Sophomore Andre Jones, a graduate of Malvern, threw down a two-handed flush for his only points of the first half, giving LR a four-point lead.
A layup by Kern drew the Red Wolves level at 23-23 for the first time since it was tied 5-5. They carried their momentum through the end of the half to lead 35-28 at the break.
"It all starts with our ball-screen defense," Flanigan said. "We talked about that going into the game. Again, this is a really good offensive team. They spread you, they basically play four guards. They set their ball-screens and they make you help.
"That is when the game begins. You have to be solid when you close out and you've got to take away 3-point shooters. We were just a little slow."
Jones opened the second half with a quick jump shot and a drive to the basket. A layup by Jaizec Lottie later gave the Trojans their final lead of the game at 38-37 at the 15:52 mark.
Gillard and the Red Wolves surged on offense through the rest of the half. He finished with a career-high 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting, including 5-for-8 from distance, as well as a game-high 11 rebounds.
"What happened when he came in the game, his mentality was to get out, he got two big rebounds, fell to the floor, got a loose ball and play great defense, next thing you know -- it happens every time: The ball always finds the guy playing hard," Balado said.
"He had open shots and he made them. It's the other way. The offense should not dictate your defensive intensity. It should be the other way. Your defensive intensity dictates how well you play on offense. It did tonight for him, and he has done it in practice."
Arkansas State took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Ty Cockfield. The Red Wolves shot 13-for-23, 56.5 percent, on 3-pointers, but made only 9 of 20, 45 percent, free throw attempts.
Flanigan said his team was late covering shooters, gave up too many easy passes and found it tough to close down on Arkansas State's guards. He said he felt his team had the right game plan, but lost their poise and struggled to finish and execute.
"It is something we dealt with all year," Flanigan said. "I thought, tonight, we kind of reverted back a little bit."
Cockfield and Deven Simms, Arkansas State's leading scorer, added 11 points apiece. Kern finished with eight points and Bruce added seven points to go along with nine rebounds.
"I was happy to win this game because I knew this team was playing much better in conference," Balado said. "It was a good road win for us. Any time we can win in conference is good.
"Everybody talks about the rivalry. It is always great to have a rivalry, especially in your state, but, to be honest with you, I am more happy with the conference win than anything."
Jones and Camron Reedus each had 11 points for Little Rock. Jones also led the team with nine rebounds. Oliver Black added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Both teams will play again on the road Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Sun Belt. Arkansas State will be at Coastal Carolina and Little Rock will face Appalachian State.
Sports on 01/22/2018