JONESBORO, Ark. – Grantham Gillard and Deven Sims combined for 36 points to lead Arkansas State to a 75-64 win over ULM in the Sun Belt opener for both teams Friday, Dec. 29 in First National Bank Arena. The Red Wolves rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit by scoring 18 points off turnovers and outscoring ULM, 25-1, from the free-throw line.
 
The Warhawks jumped out to a 15-8 lead on a jumper by Travis Munnings with 13:50 left in the first half. Munnings hit four of his first five field-goal attempts, including two 3-pointers, and accounted for 10 of ULM's first 15 points. A-State put together an 11-4 run midway through the first half and tied the score at 25-25 on Tamas Bruce's layup with 7:06 remaining. A trey from Jordon Harris sparked a 13-2 spurt and the Warhawks built their largest lead at 41-30 as Sam McDaniel buried a 3-pointer from the right corner with 1:29 to play in the opening half. ULM made its last five field-goal attempts over the final 6:40, but A-State scored five-straight points to cut its halftime deficit to 41-35.
 
ULM (6-6) shot 55 percent (17-of-31) from the field in the first half, including 70 percent (7-of-10) from behind the 3-point arc, and outrebounded A-State, 19-11. The Red Wolves stayed within striking distance by scoring 10 points off ULM's seven first-half turnovers and outscoring the Warhawks, 12-0, from the charity strip in the opening 20 minutes.
 
A-State (6-8) opened the second half with a 12-6 run and managed to tie the score at 47-47 as Sims converted 1-of-2 free-throw attempts. The Red Wolves used a 13-0 spurt to take an 11-point lead at 60-49 on two free throws by Bruce. ULM went scoreless for 8:15 as the Warhawks misfired on seven-straight field-goal attempts and committed four turnovers during A-State's decisive run. Munnings sat for 5:04 of that stretch with four fouls. The Warhawks pulled to within seven points at 69-62 on a Munnings' 3-pointer from the right baseline, but A-State iced the game by hitting six-straight free throws over the final 1:03.
 
Munnings made 9-of-13 shots from the floor, including 3-of-4 3-pointers, and finished with a game-high 22 points. Harris scored 11 points and recorded five assists. McDaniel, who also was sidelined for extended minutes with four fouls, contributed eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
 
ULM outrebounded the Red Wolves, 38-27, with 13 of those boards coming off the offensive glass.
 
"They were the more aggressive team; just look at the discrepancy in free throws," ULM head basketball coach Keith Richard said. "If you don't get to the free-throw line, you better be shooting the ball great from the field and not turning the ball over. Give Arkansas State credit; they were the more aggressive team the entire night.
 
"At times, our team has struggled to score inside the 3-point line. We need Jordon (Harris) to penetrate more. We need to get the ball in there either off the pass or dribble. Arkansas State gave us a lesson on what happens when you're aggressive attacking the basket. When you struggle scoring from the perimeter, you must find ways to get to the free-throw line. The foul trouble was hard to overcome.
 
"Arkansas State's zone defense got really wide in the second half because of our shooting in the first half," Richard said. "It's tough to score when the defense is that wide. Travis Munnings was the only one getting things done inside the 3-point line. Travis was active inside, especially on the offensive boards, but we needed more than him working in there. This is nothing new to us; we'll keep working at it."
 
Four A-State players scored in double figures, led by Gillard who hit 4-of-8 3-pointers and netted a game-high 19 points. The Red Wolves also got 17 points from Simms, 15 from Ty Cockfield and 10 from Bruce.
 
The Warhawks complete the first weekend of Sun Belt play at Little Rock on Sunday, Dec. 31, with tipoff set for 4 p.m.