HATTIESBURG, Miss. (1/29/25) – Arkansas State men's basketball used a 19-0 run in the second half to seize momentum and earn its sixth straight win, topping Southern Miss 81-68 Wednesday night inside Reed Green Coliseum.
A-State (17-5, 8-2 SBC) overcame a four-point halftime deficit and went on to outscore the Golden Eagles (9-13, 4-6) 44-27 in the second half. The Red Wolves improved to 27-8 over its last 35 games – the best 35-game span in program history.
Taryn Todd led all players, including five double-digit scorers for the Red Wolves, with 25 points on 10 made baskets. Joseph Pinion had 13 points on three 3-pointers while grabbing a career-high nine rebounds. Terrance Ford Jr. tacked on 11 points, while Rashaud Marshall and Izaiyah Nelson scored 10 apiece.
A-State shot 43.8 percent from the field on 28-of-64 while going 19-of-25 from the foul line. Southern Miss shot at a 41.1 percent clip (23-56) and was 16-for-23 from the stripe. The Red Wolves owned a plus-10 advantage on the glass, outrebounding USM 44-34. Three different players had eight or more rebounds in Pinion (9), Marshall (9) and Nelson (8).
Southern Miss led for nearly the entire first half, leading by as much as eight on a jumper late in the half by DeAntoni Gordon, who had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Treys by Derrian Ford and Pinion capped the half to cut USM's halftime lead to 41-37.
After Nelson cut it to a two-point affair with the first score of the second half, USM's Christian Watson scored five of his 10 points to push the Golden Eagles' lead back up to seven. The tide would then turn, however, with A-State's 19-0 run sparked by a layup from Kobe Julien. Neftali Alvarez would score to halt the run with 13:02 remaining, but the Red Wolves answered with seven consecutive to lead 65-48 with 10 minutes to play after the 26-2 spurt.
Denijay Harris knocked down a triple with 6:09 left to cut the Red Wolves' lead down to nine, but A-State closed the contest strong with seven of the next nine points, including four by Todd.
NEXT UP
A-State continues its four-game road stretch Saturday at Texas State. Tip-off against the Bobcats inside Strahan Arena in San Marcos, Texas, is slated for 4 p.m. on ESPN+. The radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network and the Red Wolves mobile app.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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