Update 7:30pm
Memphis, TN – (Contributed) – December 8, 2024 – Joseph Pinion carded a career-best performance to lead four double-figure scorers for the Arkansas State men’s basketball team, which defeated No. 16/15 Memphis 85-72 Sunday inside FedExForum for its highest-ranked win in program history.
A-State (7-3) forced the Tigers (7-2) into a season-high 20 turnovers and won the rebounding battle 44-40 with 16 offensive boards. The win marked the program’s first at Memphis since March 18, 1991, and halted a seven-game skid in the series with UM, while the 13-point margin was the largest margin of victory over Memphis since 1947.
Pinion scored a career-high 22 points on five made 3-pointers, while also matching his career best with eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Dyondre Dominguez tacked on a season-high 19 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench, while Taryn Todd and Kobe Julien chipped in 17 and 12, respectively. Julien and Rashaud Marshall led A-State on the glass with eight rebounds, including seven offensive boards from Julien.
The Red Wolves shot 36.6 percent (26-71) from the field, including 12-for-36 (33.3 percent) from 3-point range, while converting 21-of-27 (77.8 percent) at the free-throw line. Memphis shot 35.6 percent (21-59) and went 7-for-22 (31.8 percent) from long range.
Tiger guard PJ Haggerty had a game-high 29 points, while Dain Dainja had 16 points and 12 boards, but A-State limited preseason All-American guard Tyrese Hunter to just four points and forced him into five turnovers.
The Red Wolves pounced on the Tigers early with a trey by Todd before a Haggerty three put the hosts up by one. Memphis would only lead for 38 seconds, because Pinion would knock down a three that sparked a 16-3 run to put A-State ahead 19-7.
Hunter cut the deficit to eight with a three with 9:46left in the half, but Pinion capped a 5-0 stretch to put the Red Wolves back ahead by double digits, leading 27-14 with 7:47 on the clock. Dominguez scored three of his 14 first-half points at the 4:40mark to give A-State its largest lead of the evening, up 36-18.
Memphis clawed back to within 13 before the half, but A-State took a 42-29 lead into the break – Memphis’ largest halftime deficit faced at home this season. The Red Wolves limited the Tigers to just 7-of-25 shooting (28.0 percent) in the first 20 minutes, including 2-of-10 from the perimeter.
A-State’s lead ballooned back to 18 on six straight Pinion points, but the hosts rallied back to within eight with a 10-0 run. A three by Colby Rogers (11 points) trimmed the margin down to seven with 11:01 to play, but the Tigers would claw back no further, as the Red Wolves countered to push their lead back out to double figures.
Rogers hit another trey with 3:10 to play before A-State answered with a 5-0 stretch which would conclude its scoring, while Nicholas Jourdain added a couple of late scores for the Tigers.
NEXT UP
Arkansas State returns home Thursday to face former Sun Belt Conference counterpart UT Arlington. Tip-off against the Mavericks is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN+,
Preciously:
Memphis, TN – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – December 8, 2024 – Arkansas State’s men’s basketball team defeated the 16th-rankied University of Memphis Sunday afternoon 85-72 at the FedEx Forum.
The win marked the highest ranked win in Arkansas State history.
Previously ASU defeated 18th-ranked Iowa in 1985.
This is a developing story. More details will be posted.
