JONESBORO, Ark. (2/23/17) – Freshman forward Tahlon Hopkins banked in a runner down the right side of the lane with 1.7 seconds remaining to lift the Arkansas State women's basketball team to a 59-57 Sun Belt Conference victory over Georgia State Thursday night at the Convocation Center.
The Red Wolves snapped a four-game skid to improve their overall record to 6-21, and they now stand 4-11 in league action. Georgia State, which had won six of its last eight games heading into the contest, saw its record move to 11-16 overall and 7-9 in SBC action.
Arkansas State was led by three players scoring in double figures, including Hopkins with a team-high 16 points. Freshman guard Jada Ford, who missed the previous 10 games with an injury, added 13 points in her return to the lineup, and senior guard Brittany Fowler finished with 10.
The Panthers were led by three players scoring in double figures as well as Jada Lewis posted a game-high 18 points, Kierra Henry scored 14 and Haley Gerrin chipped in 10.
Although Georgia State finished with a higher shooting percentage, .426 to .362, and collected 36 rebounds to A-State's 32, the Red Wolves were a perfect 12-of-12 at the stripe and connected on four more three pointers (5-1).
How It Happened (First Half):
The first period featured one tie and three lead changes as Georgia State was able to grab a 13-12 advantage. With the score tied 15-15 almost two minutes into the second period, the Panthers went on a 7-2 run to go up by five with 3:57 left before halftime.
Georgia State went up by as much as six, 27-21, with 1:01 remaining before going into the locker room ahead 27-23. Hopkins scored eight of her 16 points in the first half to lead A-State, which also went 6-of-6 at the line in the second period.
How It Happened (Second Half):
The Red Wolves scored the third quarter's first four points to tie the game 27-27, but the Panthers responded with a 14-4 run to take a 41-31 lead that was their largest of the game. A Hopkins layup at the 3:35 mark started a 9-2 run by A-State as it closed the third period down just 43-40.
The Red Wolves were able to tie the game three more times in the fourth period before finally taking their first lead since the opening quarter. With score even at 55-all, A-State's Lauren Bradshaw collected a defensive rebound and the Panthers were called for a foul as A-State moved the ball up the court.
Following the personal foul, a technical foul was assessed to the Georgia State bench and Fowler made a pair of free throws to give the Red Wolves a 57-55 lead with 58 seconds left to play. A-State maintained possession, but Fowler was unable to connect on a three that gave the ball back to the Panthers.
Henry was fouled on the next possession and made both free throws to give the game its eighth tie, 57-57, with 32 seconds to go. With the game and shot clocks almost exactly the same, A-State ran the clock down to try and get the final shot of the game.
However, with the shot clock winding down, A-State head coach Brian Boyer called a timeout to set up Hopkins heroics. The inbounds pass went directly to Hopkins, who made a quick move to her right and fired up the game-winning shot.
Georgia State called a timeout to set up an inbounds play on its side of the court, still leaving the game in question. Hopkins was called for a foul while trying to work through a screen, giving the Panthers' Gerrin two free throws and adding to the dramatic finish.
Her first free throw bounced off the rim, forcing her to miss the second on purpose and A-State's Bradshaw hauled in the rebound to secure the win.
Notables:
In addition to her 10 points, Brittany Fowler also recorded five rebounds, three steals and a career-high five assists.
Arkansas State collected its 53rd Sun Belt Conference victory over the last four seasons, and now has 253 all-time.
Lauren Bradshaw recorded a team-high seven rebounds, marking the 16th time this season she has led A-State on the boards.
A-State set a school record for most free throws made without a miss at the Convocation Center, going 12-of-12. The previous record was 10-of-10 versus Little Rock in 2012.
The Red Wolves recorded a season-high 10 steals, topping their previous best of nine recorded in three previous games.
Quoting Coach Boyer:
“It was fun and it was fun for these young people because let's be honest we haven't had a lot of fun this year and this is something that they can go back to their dorms and families and have fun with. For me, it is such a great teaching point because of the way we responded and had three good days of practice and we got rewarded for it. If you work hard and don't feel sorry for yourself good things will happen.”
“The final play was something that we actually run. It is a play that is something we practice on and I thought it was good that we didn't have to design something and then basically the play was to just get the ball at the elbow and drive hard to the rim and hopefully get a shot or get fouled and Tahlon did just what you would want out that play.”
Up Next:
Arkansas State will host Georgia Southern for senior day on Feb. 25 at the Convocation Center. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. and the game can be heard on 95.3 FM The Ticket and the contest will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN App.
For the latest on the A-State women's basketball log onto the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/RedWolvesWBB, or follow them on Twitter @AStateWB and on Instagram at “AStateWBB.”
