JONESBORO, Ark. (1/3/26) – Arkansas State men's basketball (10-5, 2-1 SBC) battled in a back-and-forth contest versus James Madison (8-7, 1-2 SBC), but ultimately fell short in a 78-74 defeat on Saturday afternoon inside First National Bank Arena.
 
Matt Hayman led the team with a season-high 23 points and matched a career high with five three-pointers made. Chandler Jackson was not far behind with 19 and led the team with six assists while Jaxon Ellingsworth (12) also reached double figures on the scoreboard.
 
Jalen Hampton posted a team-leading 13 rebounds in the contest and surpassed 500 in his career.
 
As a team, the Scarlet and Black shot 25-for-70 (35.7 percent) from the floor, 8-for-32 (25 percent) from beyond the arc and 16-for-27 (59.3 percent) from the free throw line. A-State held a 42-38 advantage on the boards, with 20 coming from the offensive glass.
 
Back-to-back three-pointers from Hayman put the Red Wolves ahead by four points at the 14:17 mark while Jackson and Royal Blue Smith added free throws to make the score 16-9. The advantage reached double digits following Hayman's third triple of the half, but the Dukes immediately responded with a three of their own to start an 11-0 run that resulted in a 24-23 deficit.
 
Jackson netted a jumper with 5:22 to go and both sides exchanged the next 17 points, but the opposition registered two of the last three shots from beyond the arc to make the score 34-32. James Madison outscored the Scarlet and Black 5-2 over the final 1:45 of action as the score stood at 39-34 entering intermission.
 
Hampton scored on the opening possession of the second half while Hayman added layup and three-pointer to push A-State into the lead. A half-empty trip to the charity stripe for the Dukes led to another layup before Hayman posted his fifth triple of the contest to make the score 46-40.
 
Hampton scored on a second-chance layup with 17:17 on the clock, but momentum shifted towards the opposition afterwards. James Madison opened a 16-2 run over the next 5:17 and claimed a six-point lead before a three-point play from Ellingsworth put the Scarlet and Black within a possession of tying the game.
 
A-State accounted for four of the next six free throws made before a driving layup by Jackson resulted in a lead change. The opposition countered with two of the next three free throws made as the score stood at 60-60 with 8:04 remaining.
 
Christian Harmon converted two free throws to break the tie, and Joey Chammaa contributed two more plus a three-point basket to create a five-point lead. The Dukes mounted another surge, scoring seven of the next nine to tie the contest at 69-69 with 4:18 on the clock.
 
Hayman broke the stalemate with a layup before back-to-back baskets from the opposition resulted in a two-point deficit at the 1:43 mark. The Red Wolves made one-of-two free throws as the score stood at 73-72, but a shot from beyond the arc gave the Dukes a two-possession advantage.
 
A-State was unable to score on its next possession, but Jackson capitalized on two missed free throws at the other end by converting a layup with 15 seconds left. James Madison added two more free throws to make the score 78-74, and the Red Wolves could not respond before the clock hit 0:00.
 
NEXT UP
A-State enters the penultimate matchup of a four-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 7, against Troy. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena, and fans are encouraged to wear black. The matchup 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
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.