JONESBORO, Ark. -- ULM went
cold in the second half as Arkansas State pulled away for a 63-39 victory over
the Warhawks on Saturday evening inside the ASU Convocation Center. It marked
the Red Wolves' 11th straight victory over the Warhawks in
Jonesboro, dating back to Feb. 13, 1986.
The Warhawks shot just 25 percent (6-of-24) in the second half and
finished with their lowest point total of the season. Arkansas State heated up
in the second half, shooting 48 percent (12-of-25) and outscoring ULM 34-14 after
halftime.
Junior forward Jayon James
led the way for the Warhawks with 11 points, four assists and two steals.
Junior forward Millaun Brown chipped
in 10 points and six rebounds and junior guard Amos Olatayo added seven points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
The Warhawks (3-12, 2-7 SBC) went without a field goal for just over
nine minutes midway through the second half as the Red Wolves broke open what
was a tight game. Arkansas State(11-7, 5-4 SBC) led just 36-33 following a
layup from junior guard R.J. McCray,
but started a 15-1 run - spanning more than six minutes - that pushed the lead
to 51-34 with 5:32 to play.
ULM's only field goal in the final 11 minutes came on a layup from
Brown at the two-minute mark.
Trey Finn scored a game-high
17 points and hit a pair of crucial 3-pointers to lead the Red Wolves. Finn connected
on a fade-away 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to give Arkansas State a 29-25
advantage at halftime.
The lead changed hands six times in the first half as the Warhawks shot
48 percent and limited the Red Wolves to just 3-of-17 from 3-point range and
36.7 percent from the field.
The Red Wolves never trailed in the second half as they pulled away in
the final minutes.
ULM has a week off before returning home to face Troy on Saturday (Jan.
26) at 4 p.m. inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
