JONESBORO, Ark. (2/3/22) – The Arkansas State men's basketball team got a game-high 23 points and arena-record 26 rebounds from
Norchad Omier, but ULM hit a game-winning three pointer with 17 seconds remaining to hand the Red Wolves a 60-59 setback in Sun Belt Conference action Thursday night at First National Bank Arena.
Omier collected his 10th consecutive double-double and was joined in double figures by
Keyon Wesley, who finished with a season-high 14 points, to lead Arkansas State (14-6, 5-3). The outing marked the first time in six games that the Red Wolves didn't have at least three players reach double digits in the scoring column.
A-State finished with nine more rebounds than ULM (11-12, 3-8), but shot just 36 percent in comparison to the Warhawks' .434 mark from the field.
A-State held a 29-26 halftime advantage and scored 10 of the first 12 points coming out of the break to take its first double digit lead at 39-28. The Red Wolves extended their lead to as much as 14 points twice in the second half before the Warhawks mounted their comeback.
Leading 48-34 with exactly 12 minutes remaining, the Red Wolves saw ULM mount an 11-0 run to pull within 48-45 at the 8:31 mark. A-State was able to maintain a slight lead, however, until the final minute of the contest.
With 41 seconds left on the clock, sophomore guard
Caleb Fields hit a free throw to give the Red Wolves a 59-57 lead, but ULM's Nika Metskhvarishvili connected on a three pointer on the Warhawks next possession to set the final score. A-State got off a couple of shots in the final seconds, including a highly-contest three by Fields as time expired, but neither found the mark.
ULM was led by two players scoring in double figures as well, including Andre Jones with a team-high 21 points. Koreem Ozier added 14 for the Warhawks.
The Red Wolves remain at home for their next contest, hosting Louisiana on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 4:00 p.m. For the latest on A-State men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@AStateMB), Facebook (/AStateMB) and Instagram (@astatemb).
