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| MEDIA INFORMATION |
| Date |
Monday, January 5 | 7:00 p.m. |
| Location |
Monroe, La. | Fant-Ewing Coliseum |
| Tickets |
Purchase Tickets Online |
| TV |
None |
| Video/Audio |
ULMWarhawks.com/AStateRedWolves.com |
| Radio |
EAB Red Wolves Sports Net. 107.9 FM KFIN |
| Live Stats |
AStateRedWolves.com |
| Twitter |
@AStateMB |
| |
@AStateGameDay |
| |
@AStateRedWolves |
| |
#AStateMB |
| Game Notes |
A-State | ULM
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| ARKANSAS STATE RED WOLVES |
| Record |
6-5, 1-1 Sun Belt Conference |
| Last Game |
74-73 Loss vs. Appalachian State |
| Head Coach |
John Brady |
| |
Career: 386-312 (23 Seasons) |
| |
A-State Record: 105-96 (7 Seasons) |
| ULM WARHAWKS |
| Record |
6-6, 0-1 Sun Belt Conference |
| Last Game |
65-45 Loss at Georgia State |
| Head Coach |
Keith Richard |
| |
Career: 180-213 (14 Seasons) |
| |
Record at school: 30-96 (5 Seasons) |
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|
QUICK HITS
A-State fell to 6-5 overall on the season and 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play with a 74-73 loss to Appalachian State in its home SBC opener. The Red Wolves led for 26:28 of the game and had a 14-point lead with 10:18 remaining in the game, but couldn't hold on for the victory.
Arkansas State fell to 4-3 (.571) in home conference openers under head coach John Brady as Coach Brady dropped his first ever contest against the Mountaineers of Appalachian State. A-State fell to 1-2 (.333) overall against Appalachian State, but will have a chance to play the Mountaineers again in just 11 days on Jan. 15 in Boone, N.C.
The Red Wolves had several individual accolades as Anthony Livingston recorded his fourth straight double-double and fifth of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while PJ Hardwick registered his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 15 assists, which was just two shy of Chico Fletcher's program record of 17 in a single game. Appalachian State outshot A-State 45.3 percent (29-64) to 42.9 percent (27-63) and outrebounded the Red Wolves 39-34 for the game.
The 2014-15 campaign represents the program's 87th season as the Red Wolves have presently amassed a 1,148-1,082 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 92-79 record (.538) since the 2009-10 season.
A-State has compiled double-digit victories in 17 of the last 19 seasons after Tuesday's win vs. USA. The Red Wolves have won at least 15 games or more on 11 occasions, including four of the last five seasons.
Arkansas State travels to ULM for its second road conference contest of the season. This game will also mark the second straight time A-State plays a team coming off a bye date in SBC play.
A-STATE/ULM SERIES HISTORY
ULM is A-State's seventh most played rivalry with 55 meetings between the two schools. Arkansas State leads the series 33-22 (.600) after splitting last season's two meetings. A-State leads 24-5 (.828) in meetings in Jonesboro, while the Warhawks hold a 17-8 (.680) advantage in games in Monroe, La. The two squads have met once on a neutral floor with A-State winning that contest. A-State head coach John Brady is 12-2 all-time against ULM, including a 9-2 mark as A-State's head man. ULM's Keith Richard is 6-9 against the Red Wolves. He was 5-2 against A-State as Louisiana Tech's head coach from 1998-2001, but is only 1-7 against A-State as ULM's head coach.
Arkansas State won the last contest by a score of 64-58 in Jonesboro on March 6, 2014. Melvin Johnson III scored 17 points to lead the Red Wolves, while Ed Townsel (13) and Kendrick Washington (12) also scored in double figures. ULM outshot the Red Wolves by a slim margin of 39.6 percent (21-53) to 37.7 percent (20-53) and also held the rebounding edge 39-35, but A-State only had 11 turnovers to ULM's 16 and shot 17-25 (68 percent) from the charity stripe to the Warhawks' 11-19 (57.9 percent).
ULM won last season's meeting in Monroe at Fant-Ewing Coliseum by a score of 72-65 to snap a seven- game winning streak for the Red Wolves. Melvin Johnson III scored 27 points to lead the Red Wolves, while Kirk Van Slyke was the only other scorer in double figures for A-State with 15 points. ULM outshot the Red Wolves 46.3 percent (25-54) to 41.2 percent (21-51) and outrebounded A-State 33-29. The Warhawks also outscored A-State 40-10 in the paint and only committed seven turnovers to A-State's 14.
LAST TIME OUT
Arkansas State lost to Appalachian State 74-73 in heartbreaking fashion as the Red Wolves led for more than 26 minutes of the game and held a 14-point lead with 10:18 remaining in the contest. Appalachian State's Milos Kostic, who entered the game with two points all season, scored 11 points, all in the second half. He connected on 3-4 from beyond the arc and had the game-winning layup after an offensive rebound. Frank Eaves scored 22 points to lead all scorers in the game.
Anthony Livingston tallied his fourth straight double-double and fifth of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Sean Gardner (17), Cameron Golden (11), and PJ Hardwick (10) all scored in double figures. Hardwick dished out 15 assists, two shy of Chico Fletcher's program record 17, to record his first double-double of the season. A-State was outshot by Appalachian State 45.3 percent (29-64) to 42.9 percent (27-63) and outrebounded by the Mountaineers 39-35, but A-State only had 10 turnovers to Appalachian State's 11 and shot 13-14 (92.9 percent) from the free throw line, while the Mountaineers were only 10-19 (52.6 percent). Appalachian State's bench outscored the Red Wolves' bench 25-12 and the Mountaineers shot 12-20 (60 percent) and grabbed eight offensive rebounds over the final 10:18 to erase their 14-point deficit.
The Red Wolves' loss to Appalachian State drops Arkansas State to 1-2 overall in the series and has lost two straight after taking the first meeting back in the 1990-91 season. It was also John Brady's first time coaching against Appalachian State. The Red Wolves and Mountaineers play in Boone, N.C., on Jan. 15.
SCOUTING ULM
The Warhawks enter the game with a 6-6 record and 0-1 mark in conference play. ULM has four wins over non-DI opponents this year, but also defeated UAB 74-65 on the road and Northwestern State 82-74 at home. They also took No. 8 Florida to overtime before eventually falling by a score of 61-56. The Warhawks lost to the SBC's preseason number one team, Georgia State, by a score of 65-45 in the team's last game after leading 26-23 at halftime.
Tylor Ongwae leads the team in scoring with a 14.6 PPG average and is second in rebounding with 6.1 RPG. Nick Coppola is the only other scorer averaging double figures with 10.3 PPG and he is the team's leader with 4.3 APG. Majok Deng is the team's leader in rebounds with 7.0 RPG and blocks with 2.2 BPG. Justin Roberson is the team's leader in steals with a 1.3 SPG average.
Appalachian State's head coach Keith Richard is in his fifth season as ULM's head coach and has compiled a 30-96 record (.238) at ULM. He has an overall record of 180-213 (.458) in 14 years after he was the head man at Louisiana Tech from 1998-2007. He played at ULM from 1978-82 and led the team in assists twice.
Double-double Livingston: Sophomore forward Anthony Livingston registered his fourth straight double-double and fifth of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds, both team-highs, against Appalachian State on Saturday night. He leads A-State in points per game (16.8), rebounds per game (9.3), field-goal percentage (50.4 percent), and blocks per game (1.1). The PPG mark ranks as fourth in the conference and 101st in the nation, while the field-goal percentage is fourth in the SBC and 91st in the country. His RPG mark is first in the conference and 26th in the nation, while his defensive rebounds per game average of 6.9 is first in the conference and 16th in the nation. The five double-doubles lead the SBC and rank him 30th in the country.
Passing with PJ: A-State redshirt sophomore point guard PJ Hardwick dished out 15 assists and scored 10 points against Appalachian State for his first double-double of the year. The 15 assists were just two assists shy of Chico Fletcher's program record of 17 and are the second most in the nation in a single game this season, trailing Ohio State's Shannon Scott, who has 16 in a game. He has a remarkable 32-1 assists-to-turnover ratio over the last three games. He leads the team with 63 assists for a 7.0 APG average despite missing the first two games of the year. The APG mark ranks first in the conference and 6th in the nation, while he has a 3.15 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks first in the conference and 21st in the country. The 63 assists rank second in the conference and 69th in the nation.
The Golden Rule: Junior guard Cameron Golden scored 11 points against Appalachian State and is second on the squad with a 14.8 PPG mark. The PPG average ranks him eighth in the conference. He is team's leader in steals with a 1.8 SPG mark, a total that ranks seventh in the SBC and 102nd in the nation. He is second on the team in assists per game with 3.1, an average that ranks ninth in the SBC.
Doubling Up: A-State has had at least three players score in double figures in 10 of its 11 games this season, with the only exception being the Purdue contest. A-State had its second contest with four players in double figures against Appalachian State. Anthony Livingston scored 21 to lead the team, while Sean Gardner scored 17, Cameron Golden scored 11, and PJ Hardwick scored 10.
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 scored the second most points on the team against Appalachian State with 17. He is third on the team in scoring (14.5 PPG) and is responsible for three of A-State's top-five scoring games this season. His PPG mark ranks 10th in the Sun Belt Conference and he ranks first in the Sun Belt Conference in three-point field-goal percentage at 38.9 percent, a mark that also places him 69th in the nation. He is second in the conference in three-point field goals per game at 2.55 and ranks 86th in the country in that category.
Taking A Team's Best Punch: The Red Wolves have five games against SBC opponents after they come off a bye date in conference play, the most in the conference. Appalachian State had a bye on the first conference date before their game with A-State and ULM has byes before both of its matchups with Arkansas State.
Nouhoum, No Problem: A-State junior center Nouhoum Bocoum has drawn six consecutive starts since coming off the bench in the first five games of the season. He only scored two points against South Alabama but grabbed four rebounds. 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 (7.5 PPG) and second in rebounding (6.0 RPG).
No Rest For the Weary: Cameron Golden, Anthony Livingston, and Sean Gardner are all in the top-four in minutes played in the Sun Belt Conference and top-50 in the nation. Golden is first in the SBC and 23rd in the nation with 36:21 per game. Livingston and Gardner are tied for fourth in the conference and 50th in the nation with 35:16 per game. PJ Hardwick has also entered the top-10 in the conference with 33:40 per game in the nine games he's played this season, ranking him seventh in the SBC.
National and SBC Rankings: Arkansas State ranks fifth in the conference and 34th in the nation in fewest turnovers with 144 and A-State is also sixth in the nation in fewest fouls with 176. The Red Wolves are fifth in the conference and 77th in the country in three-point field-goal percentage defense with opponents shooting just 30.5 percent. A-State is also sixth in the conference in total rebounds per game and 96th in the nation with an average of 37.00.
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).
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.
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.
