Jonesboro, AR – (Contributed) – Arkansas State men’s basketball registered a season-high 17 three-pointers and forced 27 turnovers en route to a 107-63 victory over Arkansas Tech on Tuesday night inside First National Bank Arena.
The win extends the Red Wolves’ home winning streak against non-conference opponents to 14 games. In addition, A-State men’s and women’s basketball have 10-plus wins before Jan. 1 in the same season for the first time in school history.
Matt Hayman and TJ Caldwell led the team with 17 points apiece while Christian Harmon (13), Joey Chammaa (13), Jaxon Ellingsworth (12), and Royal Blue Smith (11) also reached double figures. Harmon posted a career-high six assists while four Red Wolves swiped a team-high three steals each.
As a team, A-State shot 35-for-62 (56.5 percent) from the floor, 17-for-38 (44.7 percent) from three-point range, and 20-for-24 (83.3 percent) from the free-throw line. The Scarlet and Black posted season highs in assists (24) and steals (17), and outscored the opposition 62-23 off the bench.
A-State trailed 8-5 at the 15:40 mark before a driving layup from Chammaa sparked a 15-0 run. The Wonder Boys ended a scoreless stretch spanning 5:32 with a three-point basket, but the Red Wolves countered with two of their own to make the score 26-11.
The lead surpassed 20 points with 6:27 remaining in the first half as Chammaa capitalized off Arkansas Tech’s 15th turnover with a fast-break layup. A-State outscored the opposition 13-8 beyond that point to take a 51-25 lead into intermission.
The Red Wolves shot 16-for-29 (55.2 percent) from the floor, 8-for-19 (42.1 percent) from three-point range, and forced 17 turnovers, including 10 steals over the first 20 minutes.
A-State outscored the Wonder Boys 13-10 over the first 4:41 of the second half before a three-pointer from Blue extended the lead to 64-34, the first 30-point margin of the contest. The score stood at 75-45 with 11:27 remaining before a 9-0 run put the Scarlet and Black on the brink of a 40-point advantage.
Arkansas Tech delayed the effort with five of the next eight points, but a fast-break dunk from Aly Tounkara paired with a three-pointer from Fredy-Salam Sylla pushed the score to 92-50. The scores marked the beginning of a 14-0 run that was capped by three free throws from Blue, pushing A-State past the century mark.
Caldwell posted the final points with 13 seconds remaining, scoring on a layup to push the Red Wolves ahead 107-63 and conclude the contest.
NEXT UP
A-State resumes a four-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 3, against James Madison. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena, and the matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+.