TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (11/8/24) – Arkansas State men's basketball pushed No. 2 Alabama to the brink on Friday night, but ultimately dropped a hard-fought 88-79 decision to the Crimson Tide inside Coleman Coliseum.
The Red Wolves (1-1) evened the contest at 70 with less than eight minutes remaining, but the Crimson Tide (2-0) fended off the upset bid with key buckets and free throws down the stretch. The 79 points scored by A-State is its most against a top-25 opponent since Dec. 19, 2017 (80 at No. 11 Wichita State).
Both squads shot 40 percent from the field on the night, and combined for 80 free-throw attempts. The Red Wolves went 23-for-36 at the charity stripe (63.9 percent) while Alabama converted at a 63.6-percent clip (28-44). The hosts won the rebounding battle 50-41, with 14 of those boards coming on the offensive glass.
Three Red Wolves scored in double figures, paced by Kobe Julien's game-high 20 points – 10 of which came at the foul line. Taryn Todd added 18 points on the night, while Rashaud Marshall scored a career-high 11 points along with eight rebounds.
Mark Sears led five double-digit scorers for Alabama, tallying 19 points. Clifford Omoruyi, Grant Nelson and Labaron Philon each had 12, while Derrion Reid scored 10. Omoruyi led all rebounders with nine.
A-State took an early lead on a Julien trey, but the Tide took momentum and pushed its lead to as much as 16 with 6:01 left in the half. The Red Wolves responded to end the opening 20 minutes, however, closing the half on an 18-5 run to trail by just three at intermission.
The Red Wolves remained within seven for much of the second half until a Reid three with 10:11 to go put Alabama back ahead by 10 67-57. But again, A-State continued to claw back, tying it at 70 with 7:08 left with an 11-1 run capped by a Joseph Pinion score.
Alabama's lead grew to 11 with under 2 minutes left when Philon hit a close-range jumper, but Julien pulled A-State back within seven inside the final 30 seconds with a pair of free throws. The hosts would ultimately hold off the comeback bid, capping the night with a pair of foul shots from Philon.
NEXT UP
A-State returns home for a three-game home stand beginning Tuesday, Nov. 12, with an in-state bout against Little Rock. Tip-off against the rival Trojans is slated for 7 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena, and the game will be broadcasted live on ESPN+.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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