SAN MARCOS, Texas (2/1/25) – Two double-doubles and a pair of 20-point performances helped the Arkansas State men's basketball team win its seventh straight game, topping Texas State 85-74 Saturday inside Strahan Arena.
The red-hot Red Wolves (18-5, 9-2 SBC) shot a season-high 57.4 percent from the floor, including 61.5 percent (8-13) from beyond the arc. With the win over the Bobcats (12-11, 5-6), A-State has a seven-game winning streak for the first time since 2016-17 and ties the 1988-89 team for the best record through 23 games in program history at 18-5. The Red Wolves won the rebounding battle 37-25 and touted a 44-30 advantage in paint points.
Izaiyah Nelson was a perfect 10-for-10 from the field en route to a season-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, adding two steals on the defensive end. Nelson was the first Sun Belt player since 2018 to go 10-for-10 or better in a conference game, and the first A-State player to go perfect on 10 or more field-goal tries since Dan Henderson went 14-for-14 in 1976.
Terrance Ford Jr. added 20 points with five assists, while Kobe Julien had 19 points and 10 boards for his first double-double of the year. Julien also had three blocks and a pair of steals defensively.
Texas State shot 44.3 percent from the field and was 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from the perimeter, while going 12-for-15 (80 percent) from the foul line. Four Bobcats scored in double figures, led by Tylan Pope with 17.
After Julien opened the contest with a jumper, the Bobcats surged out on a 9-0 run to take a lead they would hold for most of the first half. Texas State's largest lead stood at 10 with under 12 minutes to go before A-State began chipping away at the deficit. After a trey by Kaden Gumbs (12 points) put Texas State's lead back up to 29-22 with seven minutes to go before intermission, the Red Wolves closed the period on a 17-4 run to hold a 39-33 halftime lead.
In the first half, A-State shot a blistering 63 percent from the field and dominated the glass 21-9, getting 12 points from Nelson and 10 from Ford Jr.
The Red Wolves kept that momentum going into the second half, as a Julien three capped a half-opening 10-2 run to make it 49-35. A-State's lead grew to 16 before Texas State rallied to within five with 9:11 to go following a Gumbs 3-point play. The Scarlet and Black then scored nine of the next 10 points, as a three by Joseph Pinion (8 points) made it a 73-60 affair with 5:21 to play.
A-State's largest lead of the day came when Derrian Ford and Pinion combined for a 6-0 run to make it 81-64 with 2:45 remaining before the hosts pulled within 11 for the final margin.
NEXT UP
A-State continues its four-game road stretch Wednesday with a nationally-televised contest at Marshall. Tip-off against the Thundering Herd inside the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, W. Va., is slated for 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU. 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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