Lafayette, LA – Contributed – Senior guard Chandler Jackson led all scorers with 31 points to power Arkansas State men’s basketball (17-11, 8-7 SBC) past Louisiana (9-19, 6-9 SBC) on Thursday night inside the Cajundome.
The win marks the first time A-State has won back-to-back road games versus the Ragin’ Cajuns and ties the program record for road wins in a season. The Red Wolves won eight road contests in 1973-74 and matched the record in 2024-25.
Jackson shot 13-for-16 from the field with one three-pointer and added four free throws to become the first opposing player to score 30-plus inside the Cajundome since Izaiyah Nelson scored 30 on February 26, 2025. Jalen Hampton (12) also reached double figures and secured his fifth double-double of the season with a team-high 12 rebounds.
As a team, the Red Wolves shot 28-for-48 (58.3 percent) from the field, including 3-for-14 (21.4 percent) from three-point range, and 20-for-28 (71.4 percent) from the free throw line. A-State held a 47-26 advantage on the boards and outscored the opposition 46-14 in the paint.
After falling behind 20-9 at the 11:31 mark, Jackson spearheaded a 9-2 run with seven points to close the gap. Two Ragin’ Cajun jumpers bookended a free throw for the Red Wolves, but Jackson made it a one possession ballgame after scoring four points for an overall of 14 at that point in the first half.
Harmon tied the game at 26-26 with a three-pointer as 3:52 showed on the clock, but the opposition immediately responded with a jumper. Hampton answered with a three-point play to give A-State a lead for the first time in the contest, and Jackson countered free throws on the other end with another to create a 32-30 advantage.
Jackson ended the half with four of the final seven points and entered halftime with 21 on 9-for-10 (90 percent) shooting from the field. Despite trailing by 11 points early, the Red Wolves held a 36-33 lead after the first 20 minutes.
A-State would be outscored 9-5 to start the second half and fell behind 42-41, but Jackson answered with three points while Hampton countered a layup for the Ragin’ Cajuns with a three-point play. Louisiana closed the gap to 50-49 with 9:57 remaining, but a 13-2 run for the Scarlet and Black spanning 4:33 created a 12-point advantage.
A-State answered each of the next four scores from the opposition and held a 73-60 lead with less than three minutes to go. The Ragin’ Cajuns added free throws at the 2:10 mark before scores from Jackson, Ellingsworth and Harmon secured a 17-point lead, the largest of the contest, as the clock hit 0:00.
A-State completes the Louisiana road trip on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. against ULM. The matchup inside Fant Ewing Coliseum will be broadcast on ESPN+.
