Chandler Jackson scored 16 points as the Arkansas State Red Wolves (12-5, 4-1 SBC) narrowly survived to beat the Texas State Bobcats (9-9, 2-4 SBC) 83-82 Saturday afternoon at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Ark.
The win marked the sixth straight for Arkansas State over Texas State in what would be their final regular season matchup as conference opponents. The Red Wolves previously defeated the Bobcats 89-70 on Dec. 17.
Texas State was resilient despite never leading at any point in the game. Freshman forward DJ Hall contributed a double-double as one of five double-digit scorers for the Bobcats with 16 points and 12 rebounds, both of which led the team as he notched his fifth double-double of the season.
The Bobcats kept it close throughout the match, as the last 10 minutes of the game saw Texas State on the verge of a lead that would ultimately never appear after tying the game at three separate points.
In the final seven minutes of the game, the Bobcats turned the ball over six times and struggled to defend the Red Wolves without fouling, which resulted in Arkansas State shooting 78%, hitting 25 of 32 attempts from the free throw line in the game.
Junior guard Kaden Gumbs, who sat for most of the second half with four fouls, would check back in after Emmou tied the game and promptly commit two turnovers on back-to-back possessions, leading to two Arkansas State buckets, giving the Red Wolves a 70-66 lead. Gumbs would finish with four points and three turnovers.
Fellow starting guard and leading scorer Mark Drone did not play at all in the last 20 minutes, as he scored zero points on 0-6 shooting in the first half
The lack of production from the starting backcourt opened the door for junior transfer guard Jaelyn Lee, who scored seven points in 10 minutes of action, both season highs for him in conference play.
Emmou and senior guard Jalen Bolden did what they could to pick up the slack in the backcourt, each scoring 12 points off the bench.
The do-it-all senior Kyndall Davis scored ten points and added six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Fellow senior Makai Willis, who came off the bench for the fourth straight game, was also a silver lining for the Bobcats. Willis played 18 minutes and scored all 10 of his points in the second half while also grabbing four rebounds.
Texas State, who are now 1-8 away from Strahan Arena this season, committed 16 turnovers, two more than their average of 14 which is second most in the Sun Belt Conference.
The Bobcats will look to regroup when they host the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (4-14, 2-4 SBC) this upcoming Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. at Strahan Arena. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
