Dallas, TX – (Contributed) – Arkansas State men’s basketball (3-3, 0-0 SBC) fell behind early and could not recover in a 100-69 defeat at SMU (6-0, 0-0 ACC) on Friday night at Moody Coliseum.
TJ Caldwell led the team with 20 points on 8-for-16 (50 percent) shooting from the field and 4-for-5 (80 percent) shooting from the free throw line. Christian Harmon joined him with double digits on the scoreboard, netting 16 points on 6-for-9 (66.7 percent) shooting from the floor alongside two three-pointers and two free throws.
Jalen Hampton led all rebounders with nine in the contest, and the Red Wolves outrebounded the Mustangs 48-30. As a team, A-State shot 26-for-63 (41.3 percent) from the floor, 6-for-19 (20.7 percent) from beyond the arc, and 11-for-16 from the charity stripe.
Chandler Jackson scored on the first possession of the game and Aly Tounkara added a jumper three possessions later to open a 4-0 advantage at the 18:13 mark. Following the buckets, SMU established momentum by outscoring the Scarlet and Black 20-7 over the next 6:15 to move ahead by nine points.
The score stood at 36-24 at the 4:44 mark before a 14-4 run expanded the deficit to 22 with one minute remaining. Matt Hayman scored the last points of the half with 20 seconds on the clock and made the score 50-30 entering intermission.
Caldwell and Jackson scored four points in the first two possessions of the second half before the Mustangs countered with an 8-0 run. Hayman, Harmon, and Jaxon Ellingsworth chipped away at the deficit with three consecutive three-pointers, but SMU ended the 9-1 run with a triple of their own as the score stood at 62-43.
Caldwell converted a three-point play and added a layup to cut the deficit to 19 points with 11:57 to go. Trailing 77-52, Royal Blue Smith bookended an 8-0 run with a layup and jumper before countering a fast break layup with a three-point basket at the 8:10 mark.
A-State was held scoreless for the next 5:46, allowing the opposition to mount a 10-0 run before Caldwell netted two free throws. The Red Wolves added four points to their total beyond that point, but SMU ended the contest with a 9-0 run.
NEXT UP
A-State returns to action on Monday, Nov. 24, versus Jacksonville State in the first matchup of the Arkansas State Thanksgiving MTE. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena and will be broadcast on ESPN+
