JONESBORO, Ark. (1/30/21) – UT Arlington converted a layup as time expired to hand the Arkansas State men's basketball team a heartbreaking 65-64 defeat Saturday afternoon at First National Bank Arena.

A-State (6-9, 3-5 Sun Belt) led 64-63 with seven seconds remaining, but a miss on the front end of the one-and-one bonus was rebounded by UT Arlington (9-9, 5-5 Sun Belt) giving the Mavericks the opportunity to win. Shaahada Wells went the length of the floor in six seconds and sank the layup as time expired to hand the Red Wolve the heartbreaking defeat.

Norchad Omier posted his fifth-straight double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Marquis Eaton had 14 points and a game-high seven assists. Keyon Wesley recorded his second-straight double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Christian Willis was the fourth A-State player in double figures with 10 points. Sam Griffin paced UT Arlington with a game-high 23 points while Wells finished with 21 points.

The Red Wolves got off to a quick start with an 8-2 run, but Omier was whistled for his second foul with A-State leading 14-7 and logged just 7:20 in the first frame. With Omier in foul trouble, UT Arlington went on a 13-2 run to lead by four with 7:25 to go in the period. An 11-0 run gave the Red Wolves a lead back and a five-point advantage, 31-25, at the break.

A-State led throughout the second half, until the driving layup at the horn, leading by as many as nine early in final 20 minutes. After hitting just 1-of-6 from 3-point range in the first half, the Mavericks knocked down 8-of-17 beyond the arc and added 4-of-5 at the stripe to complete the comeback.

UT Arlington out-shot the Red Wolves finishing 42.1 percent (24-57) from the field and 9-of-23 (.391) from 3-point range. A-State shot 41.5 percent (27-65) overall, but was 5-of-18 (.278) beyond the arc. The Mavericks limited A-State to a season-low six free throw attempts with the Red Wolves knocking down 5-of-6 (.833).

The Mavericks edged A-State 37-34 on the glass, with both teams pulling in 13 offensive rebounds. UTA had a 15-12 advantage in second chance points and a 17-13 margin in points off turnovers, despite having six more turnovers, 17-11, than the Red Wolves.

With his 14 points, five rebounds and seven assists Saturday, Eaton joins Chico Fletcher as the only two players in program history with at least 1,000 points, 300 rebounds and 300 assists. Eaton has totaled 1,156 points, 302 rebounds and 314 assists while Fletcher totaled 1,465 points, 336 rebounds and 893 assists spanning the 1996-2000 seasons.

A-State continues the home stand next Friday and Saturday against Louisiana at First National Bank Arena. Game times are 6:00 p.m. Friday and 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ and heard across the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network and flagship station 107.9 KFIN. For the latest on A-State men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@AStateMB), Facebook (/AStateMB) and Instagram (@astatemb).