JONESBORO, Ark. — Tookie Brown hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with just over a minute to play, and Mike Hughes iced the contest with a pair of free throws with 7.7 on the clock as Georgia Southern topped Arkansas State 71-66 in Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball action Saturday night in the Convocation Center.
Brown pulled up for a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down and a hand in his face with 1:08 to play, and Jake Allsmiller took a charge on Arkansas State’s next trip down the floor. Georgia Southern ran the shot clock down again on their possession but Ike Smith’s runner was blocked.
After a Red Wolves’ timeout, Sean Gardner’s 3-point try from the top of the key was short, and Brown corralled the rebound and was fouled, ASU’s sixth team foul of the half. Georgia Southern inbounded to Hughes, who was fouled and made the free-throws to put the game away.
“There were so many big plays down the stretch," GSU coach Mark Byington said. "Tookie making the 3. Jake’s charge was a big-time play. Devince Boykins’ 3 was a big-time play. There about five or six of them that the guys made down the stretch.”
Hughes finished with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Eagles (8-12, 4-6), and Brown tallied 17 points and four assists. Ike Smith collected 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Gardner tallied 20 points and seven rebounds to lead Arkansas State (10-11, 6-4), and Anthony Livingston finished with 16 points, all in the second half. Devin Carter netted 12 points on four 3's.
Trailing by two points at intermission, Georgia Southern shot 48 percent in the second half while holding the Red Wolves to 30 percent. The Red Wolves made 7 of 14 3-pointers in the first half but were just 2 of 14 from downtown in the second frame.
“Our attention to detail was much better in the second half," Byington said. "We knew the guys who made shots can shoot — that was our emphasis over the last day and a half of prep. Maybe it took a while to sink in. In the first half we weren’t very good at it, and in the second half, we were really good at it. We were talking, we were energetic and we were diving everywhere and playing hard.”
Arkansas State 77, Georgia Southern 54
The Georgia Southern women’s basketball team started off with much better energy and focus Saturday afternoon and was able to jump out to an early lead, but a strong second quarter by Arkansas State spurred the Red Wolves to a 77-54 win over the Eagles inside the Convocation Center.
“When you play a team like Arkansas State you have to play hard the entire 40 minutes because they are a very solid team,” GSU head coach Kip Drown said. “They went on a big run there in the second quarter and that was really the key when they out-scored us 23-7 and they forced some big turnovers. I felt like they really picked up the defensive pressure in the second quarter compared to the first quarter. But I really felt like we adapted a lot better in the second half and we did some things well."
Angel McGowan led a trio of Eagles with double figures as she finished the contest with 16 points. The junior from Greenville, S.C. also finished the game with six rebounds as well as two assists and a pair of steals. She went 5-for-7 (.714) from the free throw line.
Alongside McGowan, junior Patrice Butler and sophomore Trellanie English-Lurry were the other two players to finish in double-digits for Southern (6-13, 3-7 SBC). Butler contributed 14 points and four rebounds while English-Lurry celebrated her birthday by matching her career-high of 11 points. Sophomore Sierra Butler matched the game-high for rebounds with 10 to go along with seven points, which she procured off 3-for-4 (.750) shooting from the field and a free throw.
Arkansas State’s Aundrea Gamble was the leading scorer in the game, finishing with 20 points after being shut out in the first quarter of play. Also scoring in double figures for the Red Wolves (16-3, 10-0) were Khadija Brown-Haywood with 17 points and Jessica Flanery with 10. Brown-Haywood had a double-double as she also corralled in 10 boards.
Overall, the Eagles were able to out-rebound the Red Wolves 39-36, improving off the glass from Thursday’s game in Little Rock where Georgia Southern secured just 16 total boards. While the Eagles turned the ball over 17 times in the game, they were able to hold onto the ball better in the second half, committing just six turnovers in the second half.
For the game, Arkansas State shot 45.6% (31-68) en route to securing a school record 20th-straight home win. The Eagles went 22-for-58 (.379) from the field but struggled from three-point range, converting just two of their 11 attempts despite having several open looks.
The Eagles led 61-55 following a triple from the wing by Devince Boykins as the shot clock horn sounded with 7:08 to play, but Georgia Southern went cold from the field and did not score over the next 4:13. Meanwhile, Livingston scored six points for the Red Wolves, and Arkansas State took a 63-61 advantage. The game saw two ties and a lead change from there until Brown broke a 66-66 tie with the go-ahead triple. With the scored tied 42-42, Georgia Southern scored six straight points, with the last three coming on a triple from the corner by Devonte Boykins, to open a 48-42 lead early in the second half. The margin stayed between 3-7 points until the Red Wolves made their run. The Eagles were whistled for 25 fouls, compared to 11 for Arkansas State, and the Red Wolves outscored Georgia Southern 19-6 at the free-throw line, making 19 of 24 compared to 6-of-8 for the Eagles.
Georgia Southern returns home to face UT Arlington Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse. It's Military Appreciation Day - all military personnel will receive free general admission, and their family can receive discount $5 general admission tickets. Over 150 student-athletes will be honored for their achievements in the classroom at halftime.
GSU men's team salvages road trip with win over Arkansas State