KRISHNAN COLLINS |SPORTS EDITOR: Marquis Eaton scored 26 points in the Red Wolves 83-79 victory over UT Arlington.
The Arkansas State men’s basketball team defeated UT Arlington in a 83-79 home win on Saturday. This improved the Red Wolves Sun Belt Conference record to 5-8 on the season and their overall record to 11-15.
Ty Cockfield led A-State with 27 points on the night while Marquis Eaton chipped in 26. Grantham Gillard also scored in double figures contributing 12 points.
Cockfield went 11-12 from the free throw line with many of them coming late in the game to seal the victory. A-State shot well from behind the arc making 52.4 percent of their 3-point shots.
UTA outscored the Red Wolves 45-42 in the second half but it was not enough to gain the lead. The Mavericks brought the game within two points at 79-77. Brian Warren, UTA’s leading scorer on the night, had the opportunity to bring the visitors within one point but missed his free throw attempt. From that point on the Red Wolves closed out the game with free throws and the Mavericks could not get anything going on offense.
A-State came out of the half time break in style. Gillard extended the Red Wolves’ lead to 56-45 on a 3-point basket assisted by a pirouetting Cockfield. Cockfield came out of his spin and gave the Minneapolis native a wide open look.
A-state went into the locker room with a 41-34 lead over UTA at the break. Marquis Eaton shined in the first half for the Red Wolves. The sophomore guard was perfect from behind the arc going 4-4 from the 3-point line and he also recorded three rebounds. Ty Cockfield contributed nine points while A-State shot 51.9 percent from the field. A-State was impressive on defense holding the Mavericks to a 36.7 shot percentage.
The Red Wolves were dominate in the First National Bank arena during the first half. A-State extended their lead to its largest margin at 41-29 after a Gillard shot from beyond the arc. The first half was highlighted by strong offensive showings from the home team as Eaton hit back-to -back 3-point shots forcing UTA’s coach to break his clipboard.
Both A-State and UTA got off to an extremely slow start. The game was tied 2-2 three minutes into the first half before UTA took the lead. The Mavericks extended that lead to 6-2 before the Red Wolves battled back. A quick flurry of 3-point baskets, capped off by an Eaton dunk, gave the home team a 19-14 lead.
Arkansas State hosts in-state rival Little Rock on Saturday, Feb. 23 in a vital home match-up. The Red Wolves are on the edge of SBC tournament qualification as only the top 10 teams participate. A win against the Trojans would set A-State in the right direction. Tip off is set for 4 p.m.
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