Jonesboro, AR – (Contributed) – Arkansas State men’s basketball (13-10, 5-6 SBC) fell in a 70-61 decision versus Marshall (14-8, 6-4 SBC) on Saturday afternoon inside First National Bank Arena.
Matt Hayman led the team with 17 points and four three-pointers while Christian Harmon also reached double figures with 16. Harmon posted a team-high four assists, and Jalen Hampton (10) secured 10-plus rebounds in his fourth consecutive game.
As a team A-State shot 19-for-58 (32.8 percent) from the floor, including 7-for-32 (21.9 percent) from three-point range, and 16-for-25 (64.0 percent) from the free-throw line. The Red Wolves held a 38-36 edge on the glass and outscored the opposition 12-5 on fast breaks.
After four lead changes occurred in the first 6:59 of action, Harmon netted five points to trigger the fifth and give A-State a 17-14 lead. The Thundering Herd scored five of the next six points and regained the advantage at the 10:20 mark, but Chudi Dioramma countered with a layup to make the score 20-19.
The opposition’s offensive surge continued as a 7-2 run created the largest deficit of the first half at six. Hampton stalled momentum with back-to-back layups, but a free throw and layup for Marshall increased the deficit to five points.
A 5-0 run tied the game at 29-29 and both sides evenly exchanged the next 16 points beyond that point as the score stood at 37-37 with 1:41 to go. A-State added one free throw to break the stalemate, but the Thundering Herd ended the first 20 minutes of action with back-to-back jumpers and took a 41-38 lead into intermission.
Hayman opened the second half with his fourth make from beyond the arc, but Marshall regained momentum by outscoring A-State 13-4 and created a 55-45 deficit at the 13:41 mark. Both sides battled to a 13-13 draw over the next 8:05, keeping the margin at 10 points as a scoreless stretch set in.
A-State added three free throws and trailed 68-61 with 1:28 on the clock but would not score again before time expired.
NEXT UP
A-State travels to Coastal Carolina on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m. CT inside the HTC Center. The matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+.
