Jonesboro, AR – (Contributed) – Arkansas State men’s basketball surged in the second half versus Jacksonville State to claim a 74-63 victory on Monday night inside First National Bank Arena.
Christian Harmon led the team with 21 points highlighted by 5-for-9 (55.6 percent) shooting from the floor and 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) shooting from beyond the arc. Jaxon Ellingsworth also reached double figures at 14 points, and added seven rebounds alongside three steals against the Gamecocks.
As a team, A-State shot 21-for-52 (40.4 percent) from the floor and 9-for-26 (34.6 percent) from three-point range while converting 23 free throws on 29 attempts (79.3 percent). The Scarlet and Black outscored their opponents 22-2 on fast break points and recorded 11 steals to seven for Jax State.
The Red Wolves trailed 18-16 at the 11:42 mark after evenly exchanging four consecutive three-pointers with the opposition. Harmon led the A-State response by finding Aly Tounkara for an alley-oop while Christian Jackson swiped a steal and turned it into a layup to regain the advantage.
Harmon later connected on his second three-pointer of the contest and extended the lead to six points before ending a 2:09 scoreless stretch with another to make the score 36-30. Matt Hayman extended the lead to its first-half peak of eight points with a layup at the 1:23 mark, but the Gamecocks secured two free throws before the clock hit 0:00 to make the score 38-32 at intermission.
Harmon opened the second half with free throws, while a steal for Tounkara resulted in a layup for Ellingsworth and a 10-point advantage. Tounkara added a dunk and a layup before Ellingsworth posted a dunk and a free throw to make the score 49-32.
Jax State responded with three scores on three possessions, but the Scarlet and Black countered with five of the next six points, including a triple from Ellingsworth with 13:18 to go. The Gamecocks closed the gap to 10 points over the next 2:06, but a layup from Jackson, complemented by a three-point basket from Hayman, stonewalled the effort.
The advantage fell to single digits at the 4:14 mark following a 2:38 scoreless stretch, but Harmon made the score 64-53 with two free throws 12 seconds later. The guard struck again with 2:40 remaining, netting his fourth triple of the night to extend the lead to 12.
Four free throws plus a layup put the opposition within two possessions of a tie with 1:08 to go, but the Red Wolves would not surrender another point for the remainder of the contest. Jackson added three free throws, and Hayman netted two more to reach the final score of 74-63.
NEXT UP
A-State returns to action on Friday, Nov. 28, versus North Dakota State in the final matchup of the Arkansas State Thanksgiving MTE. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Red Wolves mobile app.
A Thanksgiving Clinic is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 25, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena. For more information, click here.
