JONESBORO, Ark. — The Arkansas State men’s basketball team hit a season-high 11 three pointers, including three clutch shots on consecutive possessions late in the game, to pull out a 73-66 Sun Belt Conference road victory Saturday afternoon over Coastal Carolina.
With the victory, Arkansas State split a two-game road swing this week to move its overall and league records to 14-5 and 5-2, respectively. The Red Wolves snapped Coastal Carolina’s (12-9, 4-5) three-game winning streak in the process, recording a .509 shooting percentage while limiting the Chanticleers to a .381 percentage in a contest that featured 10 ties and 18 lead changes.
Sophomore guard Caleb Fields, one of four Arkansas State players to score in double figures, came up big down the stretch, posting eight of his 12 points over the final 2:26 to help the Red Wolves erase a late four-point deficit.
Trailing 64-60 with 2:26 remaining, Fields connected on his first of two makes from beyond the arc to get the Red Wolves back within one. Following a defensive stop, redshirt freshman guard Malcolm Farrington hit a three on the ensuing possession for the contest’s final lead change.
Fields then came up with a steal and followed with another huge three-point bucket to give the Red Wolves a two-possession lead at 69-64 at the 1:01 mark. Fields capped an 11-0 run with a pair of free throws with 38 seconds left on the clock, extending the margin to 71-64.
Second-year freshman forward Norchad Omier led all A-State scorers with a game-high 22 points and added 10 rebounds to collect his ninth straight double-double. Redshirt freshman guard Avery Felts posted a career-tying 13 points, while senior guard Marquis Eaton matched Fields’ total with 12.
Although Coastal Carolina outrebounded Arkansas State 38-32, the Red Wolves finished with four more steals, two more assists and got 12 more points from its bench.
The game was tightly contested throughout as the largest lead for both teams reached just seven points. The first half alone included seven ties and nine lead changes and ended with Coastal Carolina holding a slight 35-33 advantage.
The Chanticleers also had four players score in double figures, including guard Ebrima Dibba with a team-high 16 points.
Arkansas State returns home for its next game, hosting ULM on Thursday at 7 p.m.
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