Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – Jordan Pyke led Arkansas State men’s basketball (2-2, 0-0 SBC) with his 11th career double-double in a 99-65 victory over Dillard (1-3, 0-0 RRAC) on Saturday night inside First National Bank Arena.
Pyke posted team highs with 25 points on 11-for-15 (.733) shooting from the field and 11 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass. Chaz Watson was not far behind with 19 points on 7-for-11 (.636) shooting and matched a career best with four steals to tie with Tameron Ferguson for the team lead. Ferguson also led the team with nine assists and Aaron McGee recorded his fourth consecutive game with 10-plus points (12).
As a team, A-State shot 41-for-87 (.471) from the field and 11-for-40 (.275) from three-point range. The Scarlet & Black outrebounded the opposition 59-34 and forced 22 turnovers, including 19 steals.
| ADD US ON GOOGLE NEWS: Click here to see more local news from Jonesboro Right Now
The Red Wolves weathered an offensive attack by the Bleu Devils that featured five three-pointers in the first eight minutes of action. A-State outscored the opposition 12-7 over the next three minutes, and a steal by Watson allowed Pyke to deliver a driving layup and push the score to 33-22 at the 8:39 mark. Amadou Doumbia broke a 3:12 scoreless stretch with a basket at the rim while back-to-back dunks from McGee and CJ Geathers extended the lead to a first-half best 17 points.
Dillard chipped away at the lead, but Grayson Bennett’s three-pointer at the buzzer made the score 48-33 entering intermission. A-State shot 20-for-39 (.513) in the first half and swiped the most steals in a half this season with 11.
Pyke scored two second-chance layups and extended the lead to 57-37 with 15:05 to go as the Scarlet & Black looked to pull away. The lead continued to grow until time expired, and a three-point play by Geathers resulted in a 30-point lead with five minutes remaining. Geathers surpassed double digits in points with a three-pointer at the 3:50 mark and A-State outscored the Bleu Devils 9-6 the rest of the way to reach the final score of 99-65.
The Red Wolves conclude the three-game homestand against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 18 inside First National Bank Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the contest can be streamed on ESPN+ while the radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network and the Red Wolves mobile app. Live stats for the contest can be found on AStateRedWolves.com/stats, and tickets can be purchased at AStateRedWolves.com/tickets.
| DAILY BRIEF: Sign up for the Jonesboro Right Now Daily Brief Newsletter
