Troy, AL – (Contributed) – Arkansas State men’s basketball (12-7, 4-3 SBC) fell behind early and could not recover in a 99-74 defeat at Troy (13-6, 6-1 SBC) on Saturday afternoon inside Trojan Arena.
TJ Caldwell led the team with 17 points while Jalen Hampton (15), Christian Harmon (14), and Matt Hayman (10) also reached double figures. Hampton fell one rebound shy of a double-double while Hayman dished a team-high five assists.
As a team, the Red Wolves shot 26-for-61 (42.6 percent) from the field, including a 10-for-24 (41.7 percent) clip from three-point range, and 12-for-22 (54.5 percent) from the free-throw line.
A-State scored nine of the first 12 points in the contest before free throws and a three-pointer for Troy closed the gap to one point with 15:04 to go. The Trojans claimed the lead not long after by outscoring the Red Wolves 16-7 over the next 7:00, making the score 24-16.
The deficit closed to four points following a 4-1 run for the Red Wolves, but the opposition countered with a 10-2 run and created a double-digit margin at the 4:22 mark. Harmon converted a three-point jumper to chip away at the lead before Caldwell delivered an alley-oop on the next Red Wolves’ possession to make it a six-point ballgame as halftime approached.
The margin surpassed double digits again in the final minute, but Chandler Jackson ended the first half with a jumper to make the score 44-35.
Both teams evenly exchanged the first 18 points of the half before back-to-back scores for the opposition made the score 56-44 at the 15:47 mark. Caldwell converted a three-pointer with 11:42 remaining to put the Scarlet and Black within double-digits, but a dunk and layup on the other end sparked an overwhelming offensive surge.
The deficit continued to increase beyond that point as Troy outscored the Red Wolves 24-10 and created the largest difference of the game at 93-66 with 4:15 left. Ellingsworth registered a make from beyond the arc to help A-State net eight of the last 14 points of the game, shrinking the margin to 25 before time expired.
NEXT UP
A-State resumes a four-game road trip on Thursday, Jan. 22, at Georgia Southern. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (CT) inside the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center, and the matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+.