JONESBORO (12/20/07) ? Sophomore guard Ryan Wedel scored a career-high 30 points, including the game-winning basket, to help lead the Arkansas State men's basketball team (5-5, 1-0) to a 79-77 victory over Florida Atlantic (3-8, 0-1) Thursday night at the Convocation Center in both team's Sun Belt Conference opener.
With the score knotted 77-77, Wedel broke the 13th tie of the game with his game-winning jumper that fell with 24 seconds left on the clock. Junior forward Shawn Morgan, who finished with a season-high 14 points and team-high eight rebounds, forced an FAU turnover on its next possession and the Owls' then fouled Wedel on the inbounds play. Wedel missed the front end of a 1-and-1 that gave Florida Atlantic one last shot at the win, but Sean Alarcon's three-point attempt as time expired was off the mark.
FAU built a 20-14 lead midway through the first half, but the Indians went on a 13-2 run to take their first lead of the game and build a 27-22 advantage with 7:23 left before halftime. FAU tied the score at 37-37 at the 1:46 mark, but junior guard P.J. Keaton hit the last bucket of the first half to give the Indians a 40-37 lead at the break.
FAU reclaimed the lead, 46-45, four minutes into the second half and didn't trail again until Morgan made two free throws with 1:04 left in the game to break a 75-75 tie. The Owls' Jeff Parmer was able to haul in an offensive rebound and put it back in with 47 seconds left to set up Wedel's heroics.
“We just found a way to win and I am very proud of this basketball team,” said ASU Head Coach Dickey Nutt. “I could start with a lot of players that made a big contribution tonight. Obviously, Ryan Wedel has to be the player of the game with the outstanding night he had, but I compliment our entire team for a job well done.
“The execution offensively and protecting the basketball was the key in the second half. We turned the ball over just three times in the second half and that really played a big role with having a chance to win because we didn't give them easy scoring opportunities.”
Joining Morgan and Wedel in double figures was Yima Chia-Kur, adding 16 points to finish one shy of his career best. Keaton contributed a career-high nine points with a 3-of-4 performance from beyond the arc. Wedel tied his career-high with six three-point field goals as ASU hit a season-high 12 three pointers.
Both teams shot the ball well as FAU finished with a .542 field goal percentage and the Indians a .510 percentage. The Owls and Indians were equally impressive from beyond the arc, both shooting 54 percent from downtown.
FAU grabbed 30 rebounds in comparison to ASU's 25, but had four more turnovers.
Junior forward Carlos Monroe posted a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Carderro Nwoji scored a career-high 25 points to lead FAU. Parmer added 16 points and Alarcon contributed 11 points for the Owls.
ASU returns to action Saturday, playing at New Orleans at 7:00 p.m. in its second Sun Belt Conference game.
