Trojans Fall to Red Wolves in Farm Bureau Classic

LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock (11-7, 2-3 SBC) led for more than 35 minutes but a strong second half by Arkansas State (12-6, 3-2 SBC) carried the Red Wolves to a 77-72 win at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday.
 
The Trojans shot 52.1 percent on the night compared to 48.9 percent for the Red Wolves. Arkansas State made 26 of 32 foul shots, including 16 of 19 in the second half.
 
Arkansas State used three 3-pointers to trim a 12-point halftime deficit to a single point less than seven minutes into the second half. The Red Wolves took their first lead on a three-point play by Deven Simms with 4:14 to play that made it 69-68.
 
The Trojans regained the lead on two free throws by Deondre Burns on the next possession, but the Red Wolves took the lead for good on a three-point play by Donte Thomas that made it 72-70 with 3:22 to play.
 
Marcus Johnson Jr. led five Little Rock players in double figures with 15 points. Burns finished with 14 for his third straight double-figure scoring effort. Jalen Jackson and Ben Marcus both scored 12 and Maurius Hill added 10 points and five assists.
 
The Trojans' 39 bench points were their second most of the season.

Little Rock's crowd of 5,161 was its largest of the season.
 
Devin Carter led Arkansas State with 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Simms totaled 22 points and Thomas added 12 points and five assists.
 
The Trojans were up 43-31 at halftime and led by as many as 14 in the first half. A Jackson jumper and free throw by Marcus capped a 6-0 Trojans' run to make it 41-27 with 1:51 until halftime.
 
Little Rock finished the half shooting 63 percent, making 17 of its 27 shots from the floor. Arkansas State shot 45.5 percent over the first 20 minutes but committed nine turnovers that led to 13 Little Rock points.
 
Little Rock returns to action when it hosts South Alabama at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday, Jan. 21. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
 
Sun Belt Championship Tickets
 
The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy.  New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from your school's ticket office.  For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the #FunBelt on social media – @SunBelt.