SAN MARCOS, Texas (2/9/23) – Trailing by nine with under four minutes to play, the Arkansas State men's basketball team clawed back within one, but was unable to complete the comeback in a 66-62 setback Thursday at Texas State.
A-State drops to 10-16 on the season and 2-11 in Sun Belt Conference play while Texas State snaps a three-game losing skid and improves to 12-14 overall and 5-8 in league play. Markise Davis led the Red Wolves with a season-high 19 points while Caleb Fields added 12 points, six assists and a career-high five steals. Tyrel Morgan led five Texas State players in double figures with 12 points.
Davis had 11 of his points in the first half with A-State facing a 33-30 deficit at the break. The Red Wolves built a 19-12 advantage, but the Bobcats shot 55 percent in the half to hold the slim advantage in the first half. With Izaiyah Nelson and Omar El-Sheikh in foul trouble much of the half, Texas State took advantage with a 20-10 advantage in paint points in the first 20 minutes.
A-State led 49-47 with 10:51 to play, but the Bobcats used an 11-0 run to lead 58-52 with just over three minutes left. Davis ended a seven-minute scoring drought with his third 3-pointer of the contest, but fouled out on the next possession with his season-high 19 points.
The Red Wolves battled back within three, 63-60, with 32.7 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Julian Lual. Texas State missed the front end of the 1-and-1 bonus giving A-State a chance. Dylan Arnette launched a 3-pointer that rimmed out, but El-Sheikh grabbed the rebound and put it back to make it 63-62 with 5.3 seconds remaining. Mason Harrell converted both free throws after A-State was forced to foul with 4.6 seconds left and A-State had the length of the floor out of a timeout trailing 65-62.
Texas State elected to foul Fields as he passed half court sending Fields to the charity stripe with 2.1 seconds showing on the clock. Fields went to the line for the 1-and-1 bonus, but the shot rattled out and the Bobcats grabbed the rebound. Jordan Mason made the first free-throw to set the final margin of 66-62.
The Bobcats shot 51.2 percent (21-41) from the field, 4-of-14 (.286) beyond the arc, and buried 20-of-25 (.800) at the charity stripe. A-State finished 40 percent (20-50) from the field, 9-of-18 (.500) from 3-point range, while knocking down 65 percent (13-20) at the line. Texas State had a 31-23 edge on the glass, and outscored A-State 30-20 in paint points. A-State committed just nine turnovers and had 11 assists on its 20 field goals.
The Red Wolves close out the two-game road trip Saturday afternoon at Georgia Southern. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (CT) at Hanner Fieldhouse with the game airing on ESPN+ and heard across the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network and flagship station 107.9 KFIN in the Northeast Arkansas area.
