Moraga, Calif. – (Contributed) – Arkansas State men’s basketball battled throughout the contest at Saint Mary’s, but a late second-half surge ended hopes of a rally in an 85-72 defeat on Wednesday night at University Credit Union Pavilion.
Christian Harmon posted a career-high 21 points on 8-for-17 (47.1 percent) shooting from the floor and a 4-for-9 (44.4 percent) clip from beyond the arc. Matt Hayman (12) and Royal Blue Smith (10) also recorded 10-plus points in the contest, while Chandler Jackson dished out a team-high six assists.
The Red Wolves shot 26-for-69 (37.7 percent) from the floor, 9-for-29 (31.0 percent) from three-point range, and 11-for-13 (84.6 percent) from the free-throw line. A-State outscored the opposition 33-16 off the bench, 32-30 in the paint, and 13-10 off turnovers.
TJ Caldwell opened the game with a three-pointer before a scoreless stretch lasting 2:02 allowed the Gaels to claim a 6-3 advantage. Aly Tounkara recorded a layup at the 17:36 mark and kept the score close before an 8-2 run for the opposition created a 21-13 deficit.
Blue countered with a three-pointer while Chudi Dioramma converted a driving layup as the gap closed to three points. Caldwell added a free throw and Blue recorded a steal on the other end before Harmon’s second three-point bucket of the night pushed A-State ahead 22-21.
Three consecutive baskets pushed Saint Mary’s back in front, but the Red Wolves eventually closed the gap to 32-29 following a triple from Harmon. The Gaels’ regained momentum after matching the three-pointer on the next possession, and extended their advantage to 10 points with 3:35 to go.
Trailing by 13 with just over a minute remaining, Harmon netted another three before Jalen Hampton capped the 6-1 run and the half with a layup and free throw.
A-State landed seven threes on 19 attempts (36.8 percent) and outscored Saint Mary’s 19-9 off the bench in the first half.
Harmon scored the first points of the second at the 18:50 mark and sparked an 8-3 run that cut the deficit to three points following back-to-back layups from Chandler Jackson. The opposition responded with layups of their own to nullify the effort, and extended the deficit back to 10 points with a three-pointer two possessions later.
Harmon converted his sixth field goal of the night and Hayman landed his second shot from beyond the arc to make the score 57-52 at the 12:40 mark. Saint Mary’s responded with the same before both sides evenly exchanged the next 14 points.
An 8-0 run spanning 3:24 created the largest deficit of the game at 16 points, but the Red Wolves fired back with four consecutive points. A layup for the opposition would be met with a three-point play for Harmon, who secured his first career 20-point game at the Division I level.
The Gaels made the most of back-to-back trips to the free throw line and created an 85-70 score, but Jaxon Ellingsworth scored the final two points of the game with 30 seconds left.
NEXT UP
A-State returns to action on Friday, Nov. 21, versus SMU. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. inside Moody Coliseum and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
