Photo by: Hannah Risker | Photo Editor: Caleb Fields attempts a layup against Little Rock. 

JONESBORO-The Arkansas State men’s basketball team led in-state rival Little Rock with just over a minute to play, but the Red Wolves fell just short, 81-78, on senior night Feb. 22.

The Red Wolves (15-14 overall, 7-11 SBC) lost their seventh straight game in the loss to the Little Rock but the team showed effort and fight not apparent in the loss to Louisiana-Monroe Feb. 19. 

“Obviously not the outcome that we wanted,” A-State head coach Mike Balado said. “It was a very, very tough loss for us. I was very proud of the way our guys fought and approached this game. I thought they played with great energy and great enthusiasm. They played extremely hard. It’s tough when you got four guys who foul out. We were piecing together a team there for the last few minutes.”

Despite being on a seven game losing streak, both players and Balado alike said the spirit is good in the locker room. After the loss to ULM, the team had a meeting where they talked things over.

“Very together,” Balado said. “Obviously very down. You know it’s been a tough stretch. I just told them adversity hardens the soul and it makes you a better man. Through this tough stretch, we’re going to be better husbands and fathers and all that stuff, and better basketball players down the road.”

Coach Balado encouraged his team to get through this hard stretch.

“I told them in the meeting this season their basketball life is like a book,” Balado said. “Obviously chapters 23-29 suck. To get to the sweet chapters of 30, 31, or 32 and however many are left you have to be able to read the chapters you don’t want to get through. We’re going through that right now. Keep your head in the book and keep reading. The great thing is when you buy a book you’re bound to what’s between the pages. We’re writing one. So we still have a lot to play for. The energy in (the locker room) is good. They’re sad but they’re not falling apart. Not this group.”

Christian Willis scored a layup with 1:18 to play and put the Red Wolves ahead 76-75.

On the next possession, despite playing great defense, Little Rock’s Markquis Nowell hit a 3-pointer while falling to the ground as the Trojans regained the lead 78-76. This was the start of a 6-0 run and it was the dagger.

“(Eventually) you’re going to get that stop that you need,” Balado said. “That shot that Nowell took, I told them it shouldn’t go in. You know it shouldn’t, but it did. He’s a good player, it did. We got to accept it and move on.”

The Red Wolves did have a chance to tie the game down 79-76 with 22 seconds and A-State set a play for either Jerry Johnson Jr. or Marquis Eaton to take a 3-pointer. Eaton got a look, but could not convert.

“Yeah (I felt like I got a good look),” Eaton said. “I didn’t feel like it came off right though. It was Nowell, so he couldn’t really affect the shot.”

Eaton led the Red Wolves with 27 points on the night. A-State out-rebounded the Trojans 39-36, including an impressive 17 offensive rebounds.

Kamani Johnson led Little Rock (19-9 overall, 13-4 SBC) with 32 points and 16 rebounds in an outstanding performance from the sophomore.

“We have kind of been in a funk this week,” Johnson said. “Everybody in the locker room kinda noticed it. With guys in foul trouble today, we just needed an energy booster. I said why not me. So I just had to be that guy for our team.”

Four Red Wolves fouled out in the game much to Johnson’s credit.

Trojan head coach Darrell Walker said his goal is to get to the NCAA tournament.

“I’ve had a lot of people doubt me as a coach,” Walker said. “That fuels my fire. And at the end of the day we have a good young basketball team. These guys are fun to coach man. They probably don’t like me half the time. That’s OK, I didn’t like my coach in college either but you’ll get over it.”

Game Summary 

Second Half 

Photo by: Hannah Risker | Photo Editor: Marquis Eaton dribbles against Little Rock. 

It was a chippy rivalry game between the two Arkansas teams and many players were in foul trouble early.

Little Rock’s Ruot Monyyong picked up his fourth foul with 17:31 to play and Nikola Maric fouled out with 15:24 to play.

The lead changed 20 times in the game and the matchup stood tied 13 times in what felt like a classic A-State, Little Rock rivalry contest.

The First National Bank Arena got to its feet after Caleb Fields scored a layup to put A-State ahead 46-44 with just over 13 minutes to play in the game.

However, Johnson scored back-to-back layups for the Trojans as the visitors took a 57-53 lead with 9:46 to go. With the momentum slowly starting to go Little Rock’s way, Canberk Kus hit a nice jumper, one of many in the game from the senior, to bring A-State within two. Balado called a timeout after the basket.

In a special night from Eaton, his best sequence of the game came around the eight minute mark. Eaton went on a personal 6-0 run after first making a physical layup then scoring the and-one free throw. Just moments later, Eaton stole a pass from the Trojans, made another physical layup and scored another and-one free throw.

The FNBA was at its absolute loudest at this point as Eaton’s magic put the Red Wolves ahead 63-61 with 7:35 to play.

This set up the wild finish that saw the Trojans steal one late from the Red Wolves.

First Half

The Red Wolves and Trojans went back and forth in the first half in a truly entertaining in-state rivalry.

Eaton was on fire from beyond-the-arc in the first half as the junior made three 3-pointers including one early to tie the game at 5-5.

Malik Brevard was a man on a mission against Little Rock as he grabbed six rebounds in the first half alone.

The Red Wolves played extremely physical in the first half and the physicality was illustrated when Fields drove hard to the basket and was sent to the floor on his attempted layup. Fields made both free throws and put A-State ahead 18-15 with nine minutes to play.

A-State saw many good looks from long range in the first half as the Red Wolves took 13 3-point shots in the opening 20 minutes.

Johnson Jr. knocked down a three with with just over seven minutes to play to extend A-State’s lead 21-17.

However, Little Rock went on a 7-0 run between the 3:55 and 2:22 mark to jump out to a 32-26 lead.

Unlike the ULM game, A-State kept playing tough.

Johnson Jr. attempted a 3-pointer with one second left on the clock and got fouled.

The senior showed his experience and calmly scored all three free throws to send A-State to the half time locker rooms just behind by two 37-35.

Looking Ahead 

A-State heads to Louisiana Feb. 26. Tip off from Lafayette is set for 7 p.m.

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