QUICK HITS
A-State registered its fifth win of the season at Niagara by a score of 74-69 in its final non-conference tilt of the season on Dec. 23. The Red Wolves end the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 5-4 record.
Arkansas State improved to 2-0 against Niagara with the win last Tuesday. A-State won last season's meeting at home (86-61) and the Red Wolves improved to 4-3 all-time against schools from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
The Red Wolves trailed the Purple Eagles for more than 34 minutes of the game, but were able to take the lead for good on a three-pointer by Sean Gardner with just under two minutes to go in the game. A-State outshot Niagara 47.3 (26-55) percent to 45 percent (27-60) for the game, but the Purple Eagles built a 41-36 halftime lead behind 63 percent (17-27) shooting compared to A-State's 40 percent (12-30) mark. Niagara only managed a 30.3 (10-33) percent mark from the field in the second half as the Red Wolves shot 56 percent (14-25) to finally overtake the Purple Eagles late. PJ Hardwick dished out a career-high 11 assists with no turnovers.
The 2014-15 campaign represents the program's 87th season as the Red Wolves have presently amassed a 1,147-1,081 all-time record (.515 win pct.) dating back their inaugural 1926-27 season. A-State has won at least 20 games in a season five times – 1986-87 (21-13), 1987-88 (21-14), 1988-89 (20-10), 1990-91 (23-9) and 1997-98 (20-9) since joining the NCAA-I ranks in 1970-71.
A-State's 19 victories in the 2013-14 season (19-13 record) tied for the second most single-season wins since 1997-98 and also marked a tie for the highest win total in head coach John Brady's A-State coaching career. The Red Wolves went 19-12 overall in 2012-13, which was the program's most wins since 1997-98 (20-9 record). A-State has achieved 17 wins or more in a campaign five of the last six seasons to date and the Red Wolves have posted a 91-78 record (.538) since the 2009-10 season.
A-State has compiled double-digit victories in 16 of the last 18 seasons. The Red Wolves have won at least 15 games or more on 11 occasions, which includes four of the last five seasons to date.
Arkansas State's contest with the Jaguars of South Alabama represents the beginning of the SBC portion of its schedule. A-State is 5-1 (.833) in conference openers under John Brady.
A-STATE/SOUTH ALABAMA SERIES HISTORY
A-State and South Alabama began their series with a home-and-home in the 1970-71 season with USA winning 69-59 in Mobile and A-State winning 76-59 in Jonesboro. The two schools didn't play again until the 1991-92 season when Arkansas State joined the Sun Belt Conference. A-State earned a 63-60 home victory in that matchup.
The Red Wolves swept last season's meetings by winning 72-60 in Jonesboro on Jan. 11 before earning an 85-61 win on the road Feb. 13. A-State registered its 10th win of the season in the first meeting as Kirk Van Slyke (21 points and 14 rebounds) and Ed Townself (12 points and 10 rebounds) both recorded double- doubles. Melvin Johnson III added 12 points off the bench as A-State improved to 3-1 in SBC play. Arkansas State shot 52.8 percent (28-53) in the second contest on the road, including an 18-18 mark from the free throw line. Johnson III poured in 24 points, while Van Slyke (17), Kendrick Washington (12), and Brandon Reed (12) all scored in double figures for the Red Wolves.
Arkansas State has a 21-17 edge in the all-time series, with a 14-4 advantage at home, while SouthAlabama holds a 13-6 edge in Mobile. The two schools have only met once on a neutral floor with A-State earning a 96-83 victory in the 1994-95 SBC Tournament in Little Rock, Ark. That meeting is one of only two times the Red Wolves and Jaguars have squared off in the conference tournament with the other coming in the 2000-01 season when USA defeated A-State 76-53 in Mobile. A-State has won four straight against the Jaguars and has won two in a row over South Alabama in Mobile. USA's last win over the Red Wolves was a 74-57 decision in Mobile on Feb. 9, 2012. A-State head coach John Brady is 6-2 against South Alabama at Arkansas State and 7-3 against the Jaguars in his overall coaching career.
LAST TIME OUT
Arkansas State defeated Niagara 74-69 despite trailing for 34:36 of the game. The Red Wolves took the lead for good on a Sean Gardner three-pointer with 1:53 remaining in the contest. Cameron Golden stretched the lead to 70-65 with a three-pointer on the next possession as A-State was able to hold onto the victory and finish the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 5-4 record.
Sean Gardner led the Red Wolves with 23 points and Cameron Golden scored 20 of his own. PJ Hardwick had a fantastic game with 11 assists and no turnovers with four points, including a huge jumper at the shot clock buzzer to bring A-State within 65-64 with 2:54 left in the game. Anthony Livingston registered his third double-double of the season with 16 poitns and 10 rebounds. A-State outshot Niagara 47.3 percent (26-55) to 45 percent (27-60) for the game, but the Purple Eagles shot 63 percent (17-27) in the first half compared to Arkansas State's 40 percent (12-30) to earn a 41-36 lead at the break. A-State outrebounded Niagara by a narrow 35-34 margin, but outshot the Purple Eagles from three-point range 41.2 percent (7- 17) to 21.7 percent (5-23) and from the charity stripe 71.4 percent (15-21) to 52.6 percent (10-19).
The Red Wolves' win over the Purple Eagles improved A-State to 2-0 all-time against Niagara and 4-3 overall against teams from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The win over Niagara gives the Red Wolves a winning record against non-conference competition for the third straight season.
SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA
The Jaguars enter the SBC opener for both teams with a 2-8 record and have lost five straight. USA has two wins over non-DI competition this season with an 83-64 season-opening win versus Carroll College and a 71-54 decision over Spring Hill College back on Dec. 2. The Jaguars have lost two games in overtime in their five-game losing streak by dropping a tough 68-67 contest to Middle Tennessee and a 71-65 loss at IUPUI. USA lost to Howard 73-60 at home on Dec. 23 in its last game.
Ken Williams leads South Alabama in scoring with a 12.5 PPG average, while Taishaun Johnson is the only other player to average in double figures with a 12.1 PPG mark. Dionte Ferguson leads the team with a 7.4 RPG mark and Abdul Lewis is slightly behind with a 7.3 average. Barrington Stevens has a 2.9 APG mark to pace the squad, while Johnson is the team's leader in SPG (1.5) and Ferguson leads in BPG (0.9).
South Alabama's head coach is Matthew Graves. He sports a 13-28 record in his second season as head coach after coming over from Butler. Graves played for the Bulldogs from 1993-98 and was an assistant coach there from 2003-13, serving as the associate head coach for the last three of those seasons.
Gardner Earns CSM Award: Redshirt junior guard Sean Gardner was named the College Sports Madness SBC Men's Basketball Player of the Week after scoring 23 points in A-State's 74-69 win over Niagara. He was 9-14 from the field, including 3-8 from three point range, and also had three rebounds and an assist. He is third on the team in scoring (14.9 PPG) and is responsible for three of A-State's top-five scoring games this season. His PPG mark ranks ninth in the Sun Belt Conference and he ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference in three-point field-goal percentage at 39.3 percent, a mark that also places him 67th in the nation. He is third in the conference in three-point field goals per game at 2.67 and ranks 68th in the country in that category. His 24 makes from beyond the arc this season are the third most in the SBC.
Living-strong: Anthony Livingston has had little problems adjusting to Division I basketball after transferring from San Jacinto Junior College. He had his third double-double of the season against Niagara with 16 points and 10 rebounds. He leads A-State in points per game (16.4), rebounds per game (8.4), field-goal percentage (52 percent), and blocks per game (1.2). The PPG mark ranks as fourth in the conference and 116th in the nation, while the field-goal percentage is fifth in the SBC and 81st in the country. His RPG mark is second in the conference and 60th in the nation, while his defensive rebounds per game average of 6.33 is first in the conference and 30th in the nation.
Passing with PJ: A-State redshirt sophomore point guard PJ Hardwick had an outstanding game against Niagara as he dished out 11 assists with zero turnovers. He also scored four points, including a key jumper as the shot clock expired to bring A-State within 65-64 late in the game. He leads the team with 42 assists for a 6.0 APG average despite missing the first two games of the year. The APG mark ranks first in the conference and 16th in the nation, while he has a 2.21 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks fourth in the conference and 94th in the country. The 42 assists ranks third in the conference and 184th in the nation.
The Golden Rule: Junior guard Cameron Golden was second on the squad with 20 points against Niagara and is second on the team with a 15.3 PPG average. That mark ranks him eighth in the conference. He is team's leader in steals with a 2.0 SPG mark, a total that ranks fourth in the SBC and 66th in the nation. He is second on the team in assists per game with 3.4, an average that ranks seventh in the SBC.
20/20: Sophomore forward Anthony Livingston accomplished a feat that no A-State player had done since the 1993-94 season. He scored 20 points and grabbed 20 rebounds against Marshall, while also tying for the team lead with four assists and leading the team with three blocked shots. It was the first time since Jan. 29, 1994 that an A-State player had scored 20 points and had 20 rebounds. On that date, A-State's Jeff Clifton tallied 43 points and had 25 boards against UALR. He was named the College Sports Madness SBC Player of the Week for his efforts in that game and against Mississippi State (eight points and seven rebounds).
Doubling Up: A-State has had at least three players score in double figures in eight of its nine games this season, with the only exception being the Purdue contest. A-State had three scorers in double figures against Niagara with Sean Gardner leading the way with 23. Cameron Golden scored 20 and Anthony Livingston added 16 points.
Nouhoum, No Problem: A-State junior center Nouhoum Bocoum has drawn four consecutive starts since coming off the bench in the first five games of the season. He scored five points and grabbed seven rebounds in the 74-69 win over Niagara. Bocoum also has one of the team's double-doubles this season with a 10-point, 10-rebound effort against Purdue off the bench. He is fourth on the team in scoring (7.4 PPG) and second in rebounding (6.2 RPG).
No Rest For the Weary: Cameron Golden, Anthony Livingston, and Sean Gardner are all in the top-six in minutes played in the Sun Belt Conference and top-100 in the nation. Golden is third in the SBC and 36th in the nation with 35:46 minutes per game. Gardner is fifth in the conference and 92nd in the nation with 34:20 minutes per game and Livingston is sixth in the SBC and 96th in the nation with 34:13 minutes per game.
National and SBC Rankings: Arkansas State ranks fifth in the conference and 31st in the nation in fewest turnovers with 122. The Red Wolves are third in the conference and 94th in the country with a 36.5 percent mark from three-point range this season.
Brady's Homecoming A Success: A-State head coach John Brady returned to Mississippi State Wednesday, Dec. 17 and came away with a 69-55 win. He earned his master's degree from Mississippi State and was a graduate assistant coach for the Bulldogs in 1977. After a high school head coaching stint, Brady returned to Mississippi State as an assistant coach and was with the Bulldogs for eight seasons from 1982-90. He served as the primary recruiter for head coach Richard Williams the last four years of his tenure.
Career High For Cali: Sophomore guard Daijon Macklien (nicknamed Cali because his home state is California) played a career-high 21 minutes against Toledo and scored a career-high seven points by connecting on two three-pointers and adding a free throw. He also added two assists and a steal against the Rockets.
Number 100: Arkansas State head coach John Brady recorded his 100th win as A-State's head coach with the 67-49 victory over UCA on December 1. He became the fifth coach to register at least 100 wins at Arkansas State joining John Rauth, Nelson Catalina, Dickey Nutt, and Marvin Adams. Adams is the coach above Brady with 111 wins that he tallied from 1976-84.
Did You Know?: Sophomore guard Daijon Macklien played football at NCAA Divsion II North Alabama in the 2012 season ... Sean Gardner and junior forward Charles Waters are stepbrothers ... Nouhoum Bocoum wears size 18 shoes ... Cameron Golden has switched his jersey number to one for this upcoming season after wearing zero this past 2013-14 campaign.
