Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – Arkansas State men’s basketball (1-0, 0-0 SBC) faced a difficult challenge in the season opener versus Toledo (0-1, 0-0 MAC), but key contributions from Tameron Ferguson and Jordan Pyke propelled the Red Wolves to a 71-70 win on Monday night inside First National Bank Arena.

Ferguson led the team with 20 points on an 80 percent (8-for-10) clip and swiped a team-best three steals while picking up seven rebounds. Pyke posted 11 points and tallied a team-high nine rebounds while his lone steal proved to be critical in the final minute of action. Layne Taylor (13) and Aaron McGee (11) joined the duo with double-digit scoring performances, and the former tied with Royal Blue Smith for the team high in assists (4).

As a team, A-State shot 25-for-70 (35.7 percent) from the field and 11-for-37 (29.7 percent) from three-point range. Toledo held a 50-46 advantage on the boards, but the Scarlet & Black won the turnover battle with 16 forced compared to 10 giveaways. The Red Wolves improved to 14-3 all-time in season openers inside First National Bank Arena and have recorded 15 consecutive home wins against non-conference opponents dating back to 2023-24.

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The Red Wolves held the opposition scoreless for 7:18 and mounted a 15-4 run during the stretch. Taylor sparked the run with a three-pointer and added another to fuel an early 20-9 lead. The Rockets countered with a run of their own, netting 12 of the next 15 points as the margin dwindled to two.

Free throws from Muon paired with a triple for Ferguson stalled Toledo’s momentum, but the opposition battled back and cut the lead to 36-35 after scoring the final five points of the half. McGee and Taylor led the team with nine points apiece while Amadou Doumbia secured six rebounds and swiped two steals in the first half.

Both sides remained within striking distance through the first 10 minutes of the second half, but the Red Wolves’ defense grounded the Rockets with an 8-0 run that started at the 11:54 mark and lasted until 7:28 remained on the clock. The opposition surged with a significant run similar to the opening 20 minutes of action, but this time the lead would change hands on a three-pointer that made the score 64-62.

After both sides exchanged layups, Ferguson connected from beyond the arc to give A-State a one-point lead entering the final two minutes of play. Toledo tied the game on a jumper with 30 seconds left to go, but a reach-in foul 26 seconds later sent Ferguson to the charity stripe. He moved the Scarlet & Black in front 71-70 with the first free throw, but missed the second to set up one last defensive possession.

Delang Muon intercepted the inbound pass just beyond half court and A-State secured the first win of the 2026-27 campaign.

The Red Wolves travel south to face No. 20 Alabama on Nov. 6 inside Coleman Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the contest can be streamed on SEC Network+ while the radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network and the Red Wolves mobile app.

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