JONESBORO, Ark. (1/8/22) – Keya Patton provided much more than a spark off the bench for the Arkansas State women's basketball team on Saturday, dropping 30 points to propel the Red Wolves to a 98-70 rout over ULM at First National Bank Arena.
The Red Wolves (8-7, 1-1 SBC), playing their first game in nine days, overcame a tough early start, making just one field goal in their first 10 tries, but Patton turned that spark into a flame with 20 points in the second quarter as A-State hit 17 of its last 25 shots in the first half.
A-State shot 47.9 percent (34-71) from the field, including making a program-best and First National Bank Arena-record 16 3-pointers on 33 attempts (48.5 percent). The Red Wolves out-rebounded the Warhawks (4-13, 0-3) 45-36 and handed out 23 assists on those 34 made buckets. The Scarlet and Black's 98 points scored against ULM marked the most against a SBC foe since scoring 101 versus Troy on Dec. 30, 2015.
Patton's 30 points all came in the first half, as the Indianapolis native connected on 10 of 14 (71.4 percent) from the field and 7 of 10 from 3-point range, while grabbing 4 rebounds and blocking 3 shots. She became the first A-State player with 30 points or more since Dec. 20, 2016 (Jada Ford versus Northern Kentucky).
Trinitee Jackson recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 boards, with 12 of those points coming in the second half. Mailyn Wilkerson also accounted for a dozen points in the second half on four treys.
Bre Sutton led ULM with 15 points, while Katlyn Manuel added 14 with a team-high 8 rebounds. The Warhawks shot 45.0 percent (27-60) and made just one 3-pointer in five attempts.
ULM held the Red Wolves to just 1 of their first 10 to open the contest, leading by as much as seven. A-State then battled back with a 9-0 run that included a pair of Patton treys to take a 16-14 lead. Morgan Wallace drilled a deep three with just over a second left to cap of a quarter-ending 12-1 and push the Red Wolves' lead to 19-15 after one quarter.
A-State opened up the contest in the second quarter, with Patton unable to miss and going a perfect 7 of 7 from the field (5-5 from 3). The Red Wolves used an 11-0 run midway through the quarter to make it 41-23 before a Jackson lay-up made it a 22-point margin. A-State led 51-31 at the break.
The sharp-shooting continued in the second half, this time with Wilkerson finding her shooting stroke from the corners to the tune of 9 points in the period. That opened up room in the paint for Jackson to dominate, as the junior forward recorded 10 points in the quarter to help A-State own a commanding 80-52 lead entering the final 10 minutes.
ULM scored seven unanswered to open the fourth and cut it to 80-59, but A-State got those points back with a 7-0 stretch capped off by a Wilkerson triple. Lauryn Pendleton scored 8 of her 9 points in the final quarter, while a Karolina Szydlowska 3-pointer handed the Red Wolves their largest lead of the day, up 97-65 with 1:29 to go. ULM's Linda Van Schaik netted the Warhawks' lone 3-pointer of the contest with 1:07 to play, but it was not near enough as A-State cruised to its first league win.
NEXT UP
A-State continues its home stand Thursday, hosting Appalachian State in the first half of a women's-men's doubleheader. Tip-off versus the Mountaineers is slated for 5 p.m. and the game can be viewed on ESPN+. The radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network flagship station 95.3/96.9 The Ticket/970 AM.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the A-State women's basketball program, follow @AStateWB on Twitter and @astatewbb on Instagram, while also liking the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/RedWolvesWBB.
