MONROE, La. — ULM hit 8-of-8 free throws in the final two minutes and held the Arkansas State men's basketball team to 29 percent shooting as the Red Wolves suffered a 62-55 loss to the Warhawks Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
A-State (3-6, 0-2 Sun Belt) used a 14-2 run to lead 48-44 with 7:11 to play, but ULM (4-5, 2-0 Sun Belt) nailed free throws down the stretch to come away with the victory. The Red Wolves shot 76 percent (22-29) at the line, but went 3-of-7 (43 percent) in the final two minutes. The Warhawks finished 83 percent at the line, hitting 15-of-18 on the afternoon and a perfect for 8-for-8 down the stretch.
Caleb Fields led A-State with a game-high 16 points while Antwon Jackson added 10 points and tied his career high with eight rebounds. Norchad Omier posted his sixth consecutive game with 10 or more rebounds finishing with nine points and 10 rebounds. Russell Harrison and Koreem Ozier led ULM with 13 points, respectively.
ULM opened the game on a 15-4 run, but the Red Wolves rallied to tie the score at 23 with 6:48 to play in the opening 20 minutes. A 6-2 spurt saw that Warhawks lead by seven, but Fields drained a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the period to send the Red Wolves to halftime down three, 35-32.
The Warhawks expanded their lead to eight, 42-34, early in the second half before the Red Wolves used the 14-2 run to lead by four, 48-44, with seven minutes remaining. Jackson keyed the run for the Red Wolves pulling down three offensive rebounds in the second half and knocking down three free throws to give A-State the lead. The Red Wolves shot 21.4 percent (6-28) in the second half, including 1-of-11 (9 percent) from 3-point range.
For the game, A-State shot 29 percent (15-52), hitting 3-of-18 (17 percent) beyond the arc. The Red Wolves limited the Warhawks to 40 percent (19-47) from the field, but ULM knocked down 9-of-22 (41 percent) from 3-point range. A-State won the rebound battle 39-28, including a 13-3 edge on the offensive glass. A-State had one more turnover than ULM, 15-14, but the Warhawks outscored the Red Wolves 16-9 in points off turnovers.
