Box Score JONESBORO – Arkansas State controlled its game against the UALR women's basketball team from start to finish, claiming a 77-45 victory at the Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon.
Similar to other road games this season, the Trojans (9-9, 4-4 Sun Belt Conference) fell behind early and were never able to catch up. The Red Wolves (12-7, 6-1) forced 11 UALR turnovers in the first half and went ahead 24-6 midway through the period, putting the game seemingly out of reach just after the 10-minute mark.
The Trojans are now 2-8 on the road this season and 1-4 on the road in conference play.
Shanity James finished the afternoon with a team-high 10 points while also pulling down nine rebounds, missing a double-double by one. Kiera Clark, Di'Mond Jackson and Sharde' Collins had six points apiece, and Clark also had seven rebounds.
The Trojans had not allowed more than 72 points all season, and Arkansas State ended the game shooting 57.7 percent from the field. Aundrea Gamble scored 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting to lead the Red Wolves. Arkansas State also recorded nine steals and had 10 fast-break points while UALR had none.
Saturday's game was in hand for the home team right from the get-go. The Trojans had another rough start on the road, turning the ball over three times and falling behind 8-0 in the first three minutes. Freshman Kaitlyn Pratt and Clark got UALR on the board in the next two minutes, but the Red Wolves took a 12-4 lead into the first media break.
A sequence shortly after that break showed that it might not have been the Trojans' day. After playing excellent defense that included the 100th block of Hannah Fohne's career, the Red Wolves recovered the rebound with seconds left on the shot clock and put up a wild 3-pointer from Gamble. The off-balance shot banked off the backboard and went in as the buzzer sounded to give the Red Wolves a double-digit lead.
The lead only ballooned for the rest of the half, getting as high as 26 with four minutes to play as the Red Wolves went on a 22-2 run that spanned more than 10 minutes of the half. The Trojans got a couple late baskets in the half from Collins and James, but 11 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes rarely allowed their offense to get set up.
The second half saw more of the same as UALR trailed by as many as 37, their largest deficit of the season.
During the game, senior Taylor Ford moved into 10th place all-time at UALR for career rebound while Fohne moved within four of the all-time block record. Freshman Keanna Keys played for the second consecutive game after missing nine games with a knee injury, scoring five points on 2 of 2 shooting. Freshman Antoina Robinson added four points, tying a career high in that category.
UALR heads back to Little Rock next for a midweek showdown with Louisiana. The Trojans and Ragin' Cajuns are set for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Wednesday.
