Pensacola, FL – Contributed – Arkansas State men’s basketball (20-12, 11-7 SBC) made multiple rally efforts against Georgia Southern (18-15, 8-10 SBC), but ultimately fell short in an 80-77 decision on Thursday night inside the Pensacola Bay Center.
Matt Hayman led the team with 21 points while Jaxon Ellingsworth (18) and Chandler Jackson (12) also reached double figures. Jalen Hampton posted a team-high 12 rebounds while Jackson dished 10 assists to secure his first career double-double.
As a team, the Red Wolves shot 28-for-68 (41.2 percent) from the field, including a 10-for-33 (30.3 percent) clip from three-point range, and 11-for-21 (52.4 percent) from the free-throw line. A-State held a 44-29 advantage on the boards and outscored the opposition 36-20 in the paint.
A three-pointer from Harmon paired with a layup from Jackson created a 13-10 advantage at the 15:11 mark, but a 6-0 run spanning the next 3:12 resulted in a 16-13 deficit. SBC Sixth Man of the Year Joey Chammaa briefly erased the deficit with a three-point play, but the Eagles matched it with a make from beyond the arc before Ellingsworth netted a floater inside the paint.
An 8-0 run for the opposition created an eight-point gap with 8:27 to go in the first half. After A-State registered three of the next five free throws, Hayman notched his second triple in as many attempts while Hampton put back a missed free throw to make the score 29-25.
The deficit swelled to nine points again before another three-point basket, this time from Harmon, cut the deficit to six entering the final four minutes of the first half. Eight of the next 13 points fell in Georgia Southern’s favor, but Chammaa added the final point of the first half on a free throw as the score stood at 42-34 entering intermission.
Hayman opened the second half with back-to-back three-pointers and Jalen Hampton converted a three-point play to give the Scarlet and Black a 43-42 lead. Tounkara capped the 11-0 run with a layup before the opposition scored at the charity stripe.
The next four makes came from beyond the arc, but three fell in the Eagles’ favor and resulted in a 53-48 deficit at the 15:17 mark. The gap closed to 55-53 with 13:47 remaining and the margin remained at two points for the next 3:33 before Hayman connected on his sixth three-pointer in eight tries to make the score 64-63.
Ellingsworth forced a lead change with a jumper in the paint, but a free throw on the other end tied the contest. The opposition netted another make from deep and Chammaa answered with a free throw, but a three-point play put A-State behind by five points with 5:59 left on the clock.
Harmon ended the 8-1 run with his third three-pointer of the contest and Jackson answered free throws on the other end with a basket as the score stood at 75-71. A full-court dish from Jackson to Hayman made it a one-possession ballgame with 2:16 remaining and a turnover gave the Red Wolves a chance to tie. Jackson tied the game at 75-75 49 seconds later on a contested layup, but Georgia Southern once again created separation with five consecutive points.
With the score at 80-75 and less than a minute remaining, Tounkara landed a layup and made it a one-possession ballgame once again. The Red Wolves had one last chance with three seconds left, but the three-pointer would not fall as the clock hit 0:00.