By Brayden Morse

Junior guard #23 Izzy Higginbottom scored a career-high 31 points in Arkansas
State’s 75-62 home opener victory over Northern Illinois, along with a loud crowd for Education Day at First National Bank Arena.

The attendance of 2,685 fans was mostly elementary students supporting their Red Wolves.

Head coach Destinee Rogers expressed her thoughts on the support of the students for Education Day.

“I love this game because it gives us a chance to play in front of a bunch of people, but also to inspire a bunch of kids. We want all of the little girls and boys to know that they can sit in these seats as well. We loved the environment,” Rogers said.

The Red Wolves had a strong lead in the first half until the Huskies scored 11 unanswered points in the last four and a half minutes of the second quarter.

Higginbottom continues to show why she is a leader for the Red Wolves with her career-high game, but also the way she talks about her team when being down 33-31 at halftime.

Higginbottom addressed her pride for how the team responded in the second half.
“That shows a lot of improvement and growth. It shows how resilient this team is. We started to pick ourselves up from within as a team. I was really proud of how we listened to coach and took what she said and put it into play in the second half,” Higginbottom said.

A-State defensively out bounded Northern Illinois with 31, as well as a higher three-point percentage of 37.5% in the win.

“I am so proud of the way my team responded and played in the second half. The message to them was, winners do not fold. No matter what adversity we see, we have to be able to overcome it, and we overcame it today,” Rogers said.

Junior guard #15 Anna Griffin led the team with 13 rebounds, while sophomore guard #2 Wynter Rogers, sister of Coach Rogers, scored 11 points with a 71.4 % from field-goal range.

Wynter expressed her feelings on her first game at First National Bank Arena with her sister as the head coach, after transferring from West Virginia this offseason.

“It was a really great experience and I am really happy to be here at Arkansas State,” Wynter said.

The Red Wolves are now 1-1 on the season, as they prepare for the Arkansas Razorbacks next Friday at home at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Categories: Sports