Hattiesburg, MS – (Contributed) – Five Red Wolves reached double digits on the scoreboard as Arkansas State men’s basketball (9-4, 2-0 SBC) completed a four-game road trip with a 93-86 victory at Southern Miss (7-6, 1-1 SBC) on Saturday afternoon at Reed Green Coliseum.
A-State recorded the fifth victory on the road this season, surpassing 2016-17 (4) for the most in a single season in program history.
Chandler Jackson led the team with 18 points while Jaxon Ellingsworth (16), Jalen Hampton (15), Christian Harmon (14) and Royal Blue Smith (10) joined him in double figures. Harmon posted a career and team-high five assists while Hampton led all rebounders with seven in the contest.
As a team, the Red Wolves shot 29-for-63 (46.0 percent) from the field, 8-for-22 (36.4 percent) from beyond the arc and 27-for-33 (81.8 percent) from the free-throw line. A-State held a 37-29 edge on the boards and outscored the opposition 26-10 on second-chance points and 42-30 in the paint.
Fredy-Salam Sylla matched a Golden Eagles three-pointer and closed the gap to one possession with 16:09 on the clock. The score sparked a 6-0 run and a lead change for A-State, but Southern Miss took five points back to claim a 12-8 advantage.
Blue led the offensive attack for the next 3:42, scoring seven to create a one-point ballgame. Harmon tied the contest at 18-18 with a bucket from beyond the arc and started a 10-2 run highlighted by a pair of triples from the junior guard and Ellingsworth.
The lead reached double digits with 3:38 to go in the first half as a Jackson dunk resulted in a 32-22 score. The Golden Eagles scored six unanswered points to close the half, but the Red Wolves held a 39-32 lead entering intermission.
Harmon led the team with 10 points and posted five assists along with four rebounds over the first 20 minutes. As a team, A-State converted six three-pointers on 12 attempts (50 percent).
The opposition’s momentum carried into the second half as the run increased to 12-0 and resulted in a 39-39 tie. Sylla ended a 4:59 scoreless stretch with a contested layup to break the stalemate, but free throws on the other end tied the game once again.
Southern Miss held a 48-46 advantage before Hampton shifted momentum with a slam plus a fast break layup with 12:54 to go. The scores started a 14-4 run that was capped by a tip-in layup from Hampton, pushing the lead to double digits for the first time in the second half.
The lead peaked at 69-56 before the Golden Eagles began to chip away, outscoring the Scarlet and Black 17-6 over 3:22. With the score at 76-73 and 3:44 remaining, Hampton matched a three-pointer with a three-point play before forcing a turnover on the other end.
Jackson capitalized on the turnover with a layup and Ellingsworth pushed the advantage back to 10 points after turning a steal into another basket. A-State slammed the door shut on a comeback bid by scoring 10 points in the final two minutes to secure the victory.
NEXT UP
A-State returns to Jonesboro and opens a four-game homestand against Arkansas Tech on Tuesday, Dec. 30, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena. The matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+.
