JONESBORO, Ark. (2/25/22) – Led by three players scoring in double figures and a strong second-half defensive performance, the Arkansas State men’s basketball team closed out its regular season with a 62-60 victory Friday night over Appalachian State at First National Bank Arena.

The Red Wolves improved to 17-10 overall and 8-7 in league play, making them the No. 6 seed heading into next week’s Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Tournament in Pensacola, Fla.  A-State will face No. 11 seed ULM in the first round at 5 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, March 3.  The contest will appear on ESPN+, and all A-State men’s basketball games can be heard live on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network, including flagship station 107.9 FM in the Northeast Arkansas area.

A-State trailed by as much as 12 in the opening half, but limited App State to a .259 shooting percentage in the second to hand the Mountaineers just their fourth loss over their last 14 games.  App State saw its record move to 18-12 overall and 12-6 in league action with the setback.

Junior guard Desi Sills scored 11 of his team-high 16 points in the second half and posted a game-high four steals for A-State, which also got 14 and 11 points from senior guard Marquis Eaton and freshman forward Norchad Omier, respectively.

Omier also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds as well, while Eaton became the sixth player in school history to post 150 steals in a career.  Sophomore guard Caleb Fields was responsible for five of the Red Wolves’ 14 assists.

A-State ended the game with a .473 field goal percentage in comparison to App State’s .358 mark.  While the Red Wolves handed out six more assists and recorded three more steals, the Mountaineers held a slight 35-34 advantage on the boards and made 10 more free throws.

App State opened up a 13-3 lead just five minutes into the contest and extended it to 28-16 with 7:01 left on the clock, but the Red Wolves closed the first half with a 14-6 run to pull within 34-30 heading into the break.

A-State took its first advantage of the night by scoring the first five points of the second half, which was tightly-contested throughout with three ties and nine lead changes.  A-State matched its largest advantage of the night when Eaton hit a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left to make the score 62-58.

App State’s Justin Forrest quickly drove to the bucket on the ensuing possession and was able to draw a foul.  He made both shots at the charity stripe and A-State wasn’t able to convert on a 1-and-1 opportunity its next possession.  The Red Wolves were able to get one more stop, however, as Adrian Delph’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.

The Mountaineers were also led by three players scoring in double figures, including Delph with a game-high 19 points.

Follow A-State men’s basketball on Twitter (@AStateMB), Facebook (/AStateMB) and Instagram (@astatemb) for the latest on the Red Wolves.

Original article source: https://astateredwolves.com/news/2022/2/25/mens-basketball-a-state-defeats-app-state-62-60-in-regular-season-finale-holds-no-6-seed-at-upcoming-sbc-tourney.aspx | Article may or may not reflect the views of KLEK 102.5 FM or The Voice of Arkansas Minority Advocacy Council