JONESBORO, Ark. (2/12/25) – A prolific offense and shutdown defense helped the Arkansas State men's basketball team get back on the winning track and remain unbeaten at home with a dominant 101-67 victory over Southern Miss Wednesday night inside First National Bank Arena.
A-State (19-7, 10-3 SBC) improved to 12-0 in the friendly confines, the most home victories since 12 in 2016-17. The win over the Golden Eagles (10-16, 5-8) marked the 15th straight home win, the longest since a 27-game run spanning February 4, 1988-Jan. 18, 1990, and tied for the longest active home winning streak in the nation.
A season-high six players scored in double digits for the Scarlet and Black, led by Kobe Julien's 20 points on 4-of-5 from 3-point range. The Red Wolves shot 48.7 percent from the floor (37-76) and filled up the 3-point balloon, going 12 of 36 from deep. A-State also outrebounded USM 44-31 and allowed just five offensive rebounds, including none for the first 34 minutes of game time. The Red Wolves also had 24 assists to just five turnovers, the 24 assists being the most by an A-State team in a Sun Belt game since 2005, and the five turnovers tying the fewest allowed by the Red Wolves inside First National Bank Arena.
Joseph Pinion and Derrian Ford added 15 and 14 points, respectively, while Rashaud Marshall had 12 with eight rebounds. Both Taryn Todd and Izaiyah Nelson tallied 10 points, with Nelson grabbing eight boards and Todd doling out a season-high six assists without a turnover. Terrance Ford Jr. guided the offense well once again, matching his career high with 11 dimes to two turnovers and scoring nine points, while grabbing a season-high six boards.
Defensively, the Red Wolves poked away 17 turnovers (12 via steal), resulting in 26 points. Southern Miss shot 45.6 percent (26-57) for the night, but just 35.3 percent (12-34) in the final 20 minutes. A-State also dominated paint scoring, 48-24, and outscored USM 16-5 in second-chance opportunities.
Three Golden Eagles scored in double digits, led by Andre Curbelo's 16 points. Neftali Alvarez had 15 points and Denijay Harris scored 11.
The Red Wolves came out blazing-hot offensively and locked-in defensively, surging out to a 26-8 lead with five 3-pointers while forcing 10 early turnovers. A-State's lead ballooned to 25 when a trey by Julien made it 47-22 with 5:36 left in the half. Southern Miss closed the period by hitting six of its last eight shots to pull within 20, but the Scarlet and Black still held a commanding 55-36 lead at the break.
A-State pushed outs lead back out to 26 early in the second half before Southern Miss cut it back to 21 following a 3-point play by Alvarez. The Red Wolves then went on a 24-8 run to lead 90-53 with under six minutes to play after a score by Kameron Johnson – one of 11 players to score for the Red Wolves.
A three by Zane Butler at the 2:40 mark once again made it a 37-point affair after USM cut it to 31, but A-State continued to cruise down the stretch to seal the dominant home victory.
NEXT UP
The Red Wolves make their ninth appearance of the year on national television Saturday night, hosting Troy with tip-off set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2, and fans encouraged to help "Paint the Bank Black" for the pivotal bout against the Trojans. 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.
