The Arkansas State women’s basketball team earned a crucial 69-58 win over South Alabama to improve the Red Wolves’ Sun Belt Conference record to 4-6 on the season. Jireh Washington led A-state with 14 points on the night and four other Red Wolves scored in double figures.

The Red Wolves overall record jumped to 9-12 while South Alabama’s record dropped to 17-4, a rare loss for the Jaguars. Peyton Martin accounted for 12 of the home team’s points while Morgan Wallace, Payton Tennison and Akasha Westbrook all contributed 11 points to the cause.

A-State closed out the game with 21 points in the 4th quarter and coolly put the match-up to bed with six straight made free throws. The Red Wolves dominated the paint and went to the free throw line 17 more times than the Jaguars along with out rebounding the visitors.

South Alabama’s offense improved in the 3rd quarter despite a slow start to the game. The Jaguars outscored the Red Wolves 17-11 to bring the match-up within six points. A-State went cold during the 3rd period and suffered a setback when Peyton Martin was charged with a technical foul with 54 seconds left on the clock. Martin played a physical game up to that point and let South Alabama hear her voice.

The Red Wolves dominated the 2nd quarter as they outscored the visitors 21-11. A-State increased their lead 20-14 before the Jaguars made two three point shots to bring the game within one point at 21-20. Red Wolves head coach Bryan Boyer called a timeout for his players to regroup and A-State exploded out of the break. Akasha Westbrook ended the first half with a team leading nine points as the Red Wolves went into the locker room with a 37-25 lead.

Arkansas State started the 1st quarter hot from behind the arc hitting their first three attempted shots from deep. Payton Tennison accounted for eight points in the first quarter and the Red Wolves put on a defensive clinic holding the Jaguars to just 14 points. South Alabama gained momentum towards the end of the quarter when a technical foul was charged to coach Boyer. This allowed the Jaguars to take the lead through five free throws 14-10. The Red Wolves battled back and regained the lead 16-14 as the quarter ended through a physical shot from Peyton Martin.

The Red Wolves return to action Saturday when the Troy Trojans come to Jonesboro. Tip off is set for 4 p.m. from the First National Bank Arena.

Categories: Sports

Tags: women's basketball