Box Score
UALR falls to Arkansas State, 78-64
Jan 27, 2005
Box score
UALR had three players in double figures, but the
Trojans couldn't overcome a 58 percent shooting performance by Arkansas
State and fell to the Indians, 78-64, Thursday night at Alltel Arena.
The loss moves UALR to 12-7 on the year and 4-3 in
Sun Belt Conference play. ASU improves to 12-7 and 5-2.
Zack Wright and Columbus Willis both came off the
bench to score 18 and 12 points, respectively, while Darius Eason scored
10, including the first two baskets of the game.
Thanks to Eason's four points, a trey by Zack Graber
and two free throws from Richard Hardman, UALR jumped out to a 9-2 lead
with 16:23 left in the first half. ASU went on a 12-3 run -- keyed by
three consecutive three-pointers by Jerry Nichols -- to go up 16-12 with
13:08 remaining.
Eason hit two consecutive buckets for the Trojans
and Columbus Willis hit a jumper with 10:50 left to tie the game at 18-18.
After ASU's J.J. Montgomery hit a jumper, Wright drained a trey for a
21-20 UALR advantage, which turned out to be last Trojan lead of the game.
The Indians outscored UALR 15-7 and went into
halftime with a 35-28 lead.
It was more of the same to open the second half as
ASU extended its advantage to 40-28 thanks to five consecutive points by
Dereke Tipler, who scored 12 and was one of four Indians in double
figures. Montgomery also scored 12, Nichols led all scorers with 23 points
and Dewarick Spencer hit for 17.
UALR whittled the lead back down to six on a couple
of treys by Jarryd Knight, and eventually got to within four, 48-44, with
10:44 to play. But ASU went on another scoring streak, this one a 12-3
run, to take a commanding 13-point lead, 60-47, with 5:35 remaining.
Wright hit one free throw and Graber made two during the five-minute,
nine-second streak. Kitus Witherspoon spurred ASU during that period by
hitting three free throws and a layup.
The Trojans cut the lead to nine, 60-51, on a layup
by Willis, but could get no closer.
UALR will now travel to Miami to face Florida
International at 2 p.m. Central on Sunday. After a game at South Alabama
on Thursday, the Trojans return home to host New Orleans at 6 p.m. on Feb.
5. In the only doubleheader of the season, the UALR women's squad plays
South Alabama at 3 p.m.
