JONESBORO, Ark. – Despite a career-high 19 points from sophomore Nick Coppola, Arkansas State was able to overcome a late push from the ULM men's basketball program and take a 70-68 result on Saturday at the Convocation Center.
ULM (18-9, 12-4 SBC) erased an 11-point second half deficit and tied it, 68-68 after junior Justin Roberson grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in with 10 seconds left. Arkansas State (10-15, 5-11 SBC) dashed down the court and Frederic Dure was found open underneath for a lay-up with 5.5 seconds remaining to put the Red Wolves back on top, 70-68. The Warhawks had one last look, but a three-pointer at the buzzer was just off the mark.
Senior Tylor Ongwae registered a team-high 20 points and also grabbed seven rebounds. Coppola's career-high came on 7-of-10 shooting and 5-for-7 from beyond-the-arc. The seven made field goals and five three-pointers were also career-highs. Both Ongwae and Coppola played 40 minutes.
Dure netted 21 points and also pulled down eight rebounds in his first career start for A-State. He went 9-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from long-range.
Cameron Golden scored 17 points for A-State, Anthony Livingston recorded 16 points and Kelvin Downs 12 points. Golden played 40 minutes.
The Red Wolves led early, 14-8, when the Warhawks responded with a 12-0 run, which included an old-fashion three-point play by junior Mack Foster, to go up 20-14 at the 9:15 mark. A three-pointer by Ongwae extended the lead to 23-16 with 8:05 to go.
ULM's biggest lead of the game, 29-19, came after a three-point play by junior DeMondre Harvey with 5:15 remaining.
The Red Wolves came back with an 8-0 run to make it a 29-27 game with 2:55 left. A-State scored in the closing seconds of the half to even the score, 36-36 at the intermission.
A-State opened the second half on a 9-2 run to go up 45-40 with 16:23 remaining. The Red Wolves pushed their lead up to 53-46, forcing a ULM timeout at the 12:25 mark. Dure hit a three-pointer on A-State's next possession and the Warhawks called their final timeout trailing 56-46 with 11:46 remaining.
A-State's biggest lead of the game came at the 9:45 mark, 60-49. ULM was still down 65-54 when it went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 65-61 with 2:13 remaining after a lay-up by Foster.
After a jumper by Golden, the Warhawks trailed just 67-66 after a three-pointer by Ongwae with 1:07 left. ULM got a stop defensively, but had to foul after a missed jumper with 25 seconds left. Livingston made one of two free throws which led to the final sequence.
The Warhawks will continue their three-game road trip on Thursday when they have to South Alabama for a 7:05 p.m. tip. ULM will close out next weekend at Appalachian State at 2:30 p.m. (CT) on Saturday.
NOTES
- A-State snapped ULM's second six-game winning streak of the season. ULM etched two win streaks of six games in the same season for the first time since 1992-93
- The Warhawks won six consecutive road games for the first time since 1993-94
- ULM remained as one of six teams left in the nation to not allow 75 points in a single game this season. The list also includes New Mexico, Saint Peters, Utah, Baylor and New Hampshire
- The Warhawks entered the game leading the SBC in free throw percentage (.709) and blocks (4.5 bpg) and went 5-6 from the line and rejected four shots, three by junior Jamaal Samuel
- Ongwae, the two-time reigning Co-LSWA Player of the Week winner, notched his sixth consecutive double-figure scoring game, 19th of the season and 43rd of his career. It was his 15th 20-plus scoring game of his career and sixth of the season. Ongwae played 40 minutes (or more) for the fourth straight game and eight time in his career. He entered the game ranking first in the league in free throw percentage (.871) and went 2-2 in the game
- Coppola surpassed his previous career-high of 16 points set last season at Georgia State. He's played 40 minutes (or more) in five straight games, the 11th time this season and 20th time in his career. It was his 21st career double-digit scoring game and 12th of the season
- Coppola became the first Warhawk to make five three-pointers in a game since Trent Mackey did it vs. North Texas on Feb. 14, 2013
- ULM has posted the most single-season SBC wins in school history with 12. The 18 wins overall are the most since 2006-07
- The Warhawks have already surpassed their conference win total from last season by five games and have also surpassed their overall win total by eight games when they finished 10-17 (7-11 SBC)
Quoting ULM head coach Keith Richard
Opening Statement
“It was an outstanding comeback in the last three minutes, both defensively and offensively. We had a good look at it at the end, but I hate that we gave up a lay-up on the push after we scored. We made bucket and gave up a lay-up on the other end. It was a nice comeback but in general, for the whole game they outplayed us. They out-toughed us and really deserved to win the game. I'm disappointed in our toughness. We must have missed 20 shots at the rim tonight from point-blank range, I counted 13 in the second half; 13 point-blank shots. Some not contested, some a little contested. We also couldn't guard them for a while in the second half. We're supposed to be a good defensive team but it didn't look like it tonight – man or zone.”
On Nick Coppola
“He played well on the offensive end and kept us in the game with his three-point shooting. It was good to see him make some shots and we're going to need those in other games.”
On bouncing back over the last four games
“We better. These games are not going to be easy. We're not a far-superior team than the competitors in our league. We have to defend well. I thought we got out of whack on offense tonight and took some bad shots because we were trying to catch up all in one possession. It was out of character for us. We have to make sure that we get back to who we are which has been successful for us, and we'll do that through film this week.”
