SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (11/11/25) – The Arkansas State men's basketball team (2-1, 0-0 SBC) completed a 16-point comeback to defeat Missouri State (2-1, 0-0 CUSA) in an 86-85 decision on Tuesday night at Great Southern Bank Arena.
 
The deficit was the largest to be overcome by the Red Wolves since the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Semifinals on March 9, when the team trailed by 16 versus South Alabama before rallying to a 74-71 victory. Tonight's win snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Bears in Springfield. The streak dated back to December 16, 1970, when A-State claimed a 74-56 decision.
 
Chandler Jackson led all scorers with 33 points on 10-for-11 (90 percent) shooting from the floor, 3-for-3 (100 percent) shooting from three-point range, and 10-for-12 (83 percent) shooting from the free throw line. TJ Caldwell joined Jackson in double figures with 16, and Christian Harmon posted a team-high 11 rebounds.
 
As a team, A-State shot 29-for-65 (44 percent) from the floor and 5-for-22 (22 percent) from three-point range. The team converted 20-plus free throws for the third-consecutive matchup, making 23 over 29 attempts.
 
The Red Wolves held a 40-32 edge in rebounds and a 44-34 advantage in points from the paint.
 
An 8-0 run beginning at the 14:55 mark allowed Missouri State to open a 20-8 advantage, but Caldwell snapped it with a three-point play. The deficit returned to double digits following back-to-back layups, and reached a peak of 16 points on three occasions before a three-pointer from Jackson followed by a layup from Royal Blue Smith made the score 40-29 at the 2:06 mark.
 
The Bears countered with a layup and three-pointer of their own before A-State recorded four of the last five points to end the half.
 
Aly Tounkara opened the second half with a bucket and Jackson followed with a three-point play before Christian Harmon's three-pointer capped an 8-0 run and made the score 46-41 with 17:58 on the clock. The Bears responded with a dunk and a three-point play of their own over the next 49 seconds, pushing the deficit to 10 points.
 
The Red Wolves trailed 54-43 after Harmon's layup was met with three free throws, but a 6-0 run powered by four points from Caldwell closed the gap to five. Missouri State scored 10 of the next 14 points to extend the lead once again, but momentum shifted to the Red Wolves' favor beginning at the 10:51 mark.
 
Jackson and Tounkara netted two free throws apiece and the former drained a triple to make it a four-point ballgame. Ellingsworth matched a Bears' jumper with a layup, and Jackson converted his second and-one of the evening to make the score 66-65.
 
The opposition extended their advantage to three points, but Jackson fired back with his third bucket from beyond the arc to tie the game with 7:19 to go.
 
The Scarlet and Black surrendered a triple on the ensuing possession, but Jackson countered with a jumper that sparked a 7-0 run capped by a three-pointer from Ellingsworth. A-State held their first lead of the game for 4:44 before Missouri State moved ahead 80-79 with 1:30 remaining.
 
The deficit would not last long as Jackson netted a jumper 25 seconds later, and after a defensive stop, he converted another to make the score 83-80 with 26 seconds to go. After two made free throws for the opposition, Jackson scored his 33rd and final point of the contest but missed the first of two from the charity stripe.
 
Missouri State was unable to tie the game on free throws during the next possession, missing one before Hayman converted both on the other end and extended the lead to 86-83. A clear-path foul gave the opposition two free throw opportunities plus possession, but the Bears settled for one point from the free-throw line once again.
 
A foul with one second left gave Missouri State a one more chance to tie, but the result from the charity stripe would be the same as the previous two. A-State surrendered an offensive rebound but would not give up the go-ahead score as the clock hit 0:00.
 
NEXT UP
A-State opens the 2025-26 home slate versus Christian Brothers on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 7:00 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, while 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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