Arkansas State never trailed Sunday afternoon, rolling past Kent State 74-54 to claim the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship-Goombay Division title at the Baha Mar Convention Center.
The win moves the Red Wolves to 5-3 and gives the program its first regular-season multi-team event championship since taking the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic in 2008.
Four players scored in double figures for A-State, led by D’Arrah Allen’s 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Zyion Shannon added 16, Marlie Dickerson scored 12 and Mia Tarver finished with 10. Kent State’s Tatiana Thomas matched Allen with 17 for the Golden Flashes (4-5).
Arkansas State knocked down a season-high 14 three-pointers and shot nearly 42 percent from the field. The Red Wolves forced 25 turnovers while holding Kent State to just 2-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc.
A-State exploded out of the gate with an 11-of-19 shooting performance in the first quarter, including a pair of threes each from Dickerson, Tarver and Mimi McCollister, building a 33-16 lead. The Red Wolves carried a 50-35 advantage into halftime behind Allen’s seven-point second quarter.
Defense defined the second half as both teams cooled, but A-State maintained control. A 10-0 fourth-quarter run fueled by back-to-back threes from Shannon and Dickerson secured the Red Wolves’ third straight win.
Shannon was named MVP of the Goombay Division. Allen earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
UP NEXT: Arkansas State returns home to begin a five-game homestand, hosting Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday at 7. The game streams on ESPN+.
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