JONESBORO, Ark. (1/18/25) – A dominant first half paved the way for the Arkansas State men's basketball team's third straight win, as it routed Georgia State 85-59 Saturday inside First National Bank Arena.
A-State (14-5, 5-2 SBC) went on a 29-0 run in the first half in which it held the Panthers 7-12, 3-4) scoreless for 10 minutes. The Red Wolves extended their home winning streak to 12 games, the longest since a 13-game run in 2010-11, and improved to 9-0 at home this season.
Joseph Pinion led the team in scoring with 14 points on four made 3-pointers, while Taryn Todd added 12 with six rebounds and five assists to lead 10 players with six or more points. Terrance Ford Jr. added eight assists to just two turnovers with eight points, as A-State handed out 22 assists to just five turnovers. The 22 assists were the most by the Red Wolves this season against a Division-I foe.
As a team, A-State shot 39.7 percent (31-78) and converted 13-of-39 3-point tries. From the foul line, the Scarlet and Black made 10-of-11. The Red Wolves won the rebounding battle 51-49 for their third game with 50 or more boards and had four players with at least six rebounds.
Georgia State shot 31.9 percent from the field on 22-of-69 and went just 2-for-23 (8.7 percent) from deep.
The Red Wolves once again got off to a fast start, surging to a 7-2 lead after a dunk by Izaiyah Nelson, who had eight points and team-high 12 rebounds. A three by Jelani Hamilton (13 points) cut it to 15-11 with 12:52 before the visitors would miss 18 straight shots over the next 10 minutes. During that window, A-State scored 29 unanswered to push its lead out to 44-11 before the Panthers closed with eight straight points to make it a 44-19 lead for the Scarlet and Black at the break.
GSU pulled within 23 early in the second half before eight points by Pinion and Todd made it 59-27 with 14:34 to go. A-State's lead then grew to as much as 36 following a pair of free throws by Derrian Ford that made it 68-32 with 11:46 remaining. A 9-0 Georgia State run capped by a 3-point play by Nick McMullen (15 points, 12, rebounds) made it 68-41, but the Red Wolves would not let the Panthers gain momentum to close the gap much further.
NEXT UP
The Red Wolves continue their home stand next Thursday, hosting Appalachian State in a nationally-televised tilt on ESPN2. Tip-off against the Mountaineers is slated for 8 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena. 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.
