JONESBORO, Ark. (1/16/25) – A fast start and tone-setting defense combined for a dominant victory by the Arkansas State men's basketball team Thursday night, topping Louisiana 83-63 inside First National Bank Arena.
A-State (13-5, 4-2 SBC) scored the game's first seven points and never looked back, holding the Ragin' Cajuns (5-13, 3-3) to just 35.3 percent from the field – including a 23.5-percent clip in the first half. The Red Wolves continued to hold serve on the home floor, improving to 8-0 this season at home and extending their home winning streak to 11 games – the longest since an 11-game stretch in 2016-17.
The Red Wolves shot 44.3 percent (27-61) from the field and went 22-for-31 at the free-throw line, while having four double-digit scorers led by Kobe Julien's 15 points. Julien also grabbed eight rebounds – one of three players with eight boards to help A-State edge UL 45-42 on the glass.
Joseph Pinion added 13 points and eight rebounds with a career-high five assists, while Terrance Ford Jr. scored 13 with six dimes. Taryn Todd, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career on the game's first basket, scored 12 points with eight rebounds.
Todd sparked the Scarlet and Black's game-opening 7-0 spurt with a trey that was also his 1,000th point. A-State's lead moved to double digits on back-to-back scores by Rashaud Marshall, and a Pinion dunk later made it a 25-10 game, forcing an early Cajun timeout. Julien capped an 8-2 run that gave the hosts their largest lead of the half, up 38-19 with 6:50 remaining in the period.
After Louisiana went on a 5-0 run to cut it back to 14, A-State closed the half on a 6-0 swing to take a commanding 44-24 lead into the break.
The Red Wolves weathered a slow start offensively after intermission, as the Cajuns pulled back within 13 within the first eight minutes of the half. Todd drilled a trey with 11:53 left to spark an 8-0 run, which pushed A-State's lead back out to 21 at 60-39 with just over 10 minutes to play.
A-State's advantage ballooned to as much as 26 when a Ford Jr. layup made it 69-43 with 7:07 to play, and then the Red Wolves maintained the lead, closing the win on a 7-2 run on scores by Zane Butler, Jacob St. Clair and Justin Johnson.
NEXT UP
The Red Wolves continue their home stretch Saturday, hosting Georgia State in the second half of a women's-men's basketball doubleheader inside First National Bank Arena. Tip-off against the Panthers is slated for no earlier than 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+, following the conclusion of the women's contest versus ULM. The radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network and the Red Wolves mobile app.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the A-State men's basketball program, follow @AStateMB on Twitter/X and @astatemb on Instagram, while also liking the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateMB.
