JONESBORO, Ark. ? A close game at the intermission was won at the line in the second half as Arkansas State was able to down the ULM women's basketball team 64-54 in Jonesboro, Ark., on Wednesday evening.
Arkansas State (9-8, 3-3 Sun Belt) attempted 31 second half free throws, converting on more (19) in the period than the Warhawks attempted in the entire game (12). For the Red Wolves, Jazmine Taylor led the squad with 12 points including a 10-for-10 performance from the charity stripe.
ULM (10-7, 3-3 Sun Belt) finished with more made field goals and pulled down 47 rebounds, but was whistled for 30 fouls and saw starters Jesse Carrier and Ashley Wallis take early exits.
Carrier finished with a team-high 12 points while Kassie Courtney came off the bench to add 10 points and eight rebounds. Sannisha Williams finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
ASU's Brittney Hiles finished with a game-high 13 points while teammate Sherina Scott finished with a game-high 13 rebounds.
Both teams started slowly on offense as, entering the under-16 minute timeout Arkansas State held a slim 2-0 lead. Senior Lottie Moore put the Warhawks on the board and knotted the score at a deuce with a lay-up at the 15:28 mark.
The two teams spent the next five minutes trading shots and misses until Arkansas State put together a 7-0 run to stake a 15-8 advantage with eight minutes remaining in the opening period.
ASU would push its advantage to as many as 10 points in the opening period before the Warhawks were able to cut it to five points at the half.
Despite shooting a woeful 31.3 percent and committing 13 turnovers in the opening period, ULM entered the intermission trailing by only five points at 27-22. The Warhawk defense kept them in the game in the opening half, collecting 10 steals and forcing 15 Arkansas State turnovers to go with a 37 percent shooting clip.
Out of the half, ULM turned the ball over on three straight possessions to allow the Red Wolves to build a nine-point lead. ULM would fight back, cutting the deficit to 31-27 with 17:57 remaining before ASU went on another run.
Trailing by 10 points, ULM scored seven straight to come within three at 43-40 with 9:01 remaining, An Arkansas State trey extended the advantage again and the Warhawks could draw no closer.
ULM returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Troy inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum at 2 p.m.
