DENTON, Texas (2/28/13) – A four-game winning
streak held by the Arkansas State University men's basketball team came to an
abrupt end as the Red Wolves were handed a one-sided 74-50 loss by North Texas
this Thursday (Feb. 28) evening in a matchup of Sun Belt Conference (SBC) West
Division foes at UNT's The Super Pit in Denton, Texas.
Arkansas State, which falls to 18-10 overall and
12-7 in the SBC's West Division, received a season-high 18 points from senior
guard Marcus Hooten. Junior guard Ed Townsel was the only other ASU player to score in double figures
with 14 points off the bench.
“We came out flat and we're poor in every aspect of
the game,” said ASU head coach John
Brady. “We didn't have the edge and
it showed in a big way. We were lucky to
not get beat by more (points) than we did.
“I told our guys afterwards we have a chance for
redemption this Saturday night at Arkansas-Little Rock,” added Brady.
The Red Wolves, who were held to a season-low 25
percent shooting (17-68) on the night and went made just one-of-23 three-point
tries, faced an uphill battle from the outset.
A Marcus Hooten jumper to
start the game was ASU's only lead as North Texas scored the next eight
straight points on its way to taking a 34-24 lead at the half. A-State struggled offensively in the opening
20 minutes, making good on only 21.2 percent (7-33) of its shots while the Mean
Green converted on 42.9 percent (12-28)
from the floor.
The shooting woes continued for the Red Wolves in
the second half as ASU went 10-for-35 shooting (28.6%) and North Texas managed
to hit at a 54.2 percent (13-24) clip.
Arkansas State would trail by double digits throughout the stanza and
would draw no closer than 11 points midway through the half with the last one
coming with 11:16 left at 51-40 on a layup by Ed Townsel, who accounted
for A-State's lone three ball in the contest.
While ASU couldn't shot the ball well from the
floor, the Red Wolves managed to do so at the free-throw line by making
15-of-17 at the stripe for an 88.2 percent success rate. A-State also was effective in points off
turnovers (17-8) and in bench scoring (20-10).
The Mean Green, which ended the contest with a 48.1
percent (25-52) field goal percentage, would claim a 45-38 advantage on the
boards. Senior guard Trey Finn's nine rebounds was tops for
A-State, which also received eight boards, including seven offensive, from
junior forward Kendrick Washington. UNT also contained senior forward Brandon Peterson, holding the ASU big
man scoreless with no rebounds in the game.
Peterson played a season-low 15 minutes before fouling out.
North Texas, which won for third time in its last
four games, closed out its regular season at 12-19 overall with a 7-13 mark in
the SBC's West Division. The Mean Green had
four starters crack the double-digit scoring column as the Williams, Alzee and
Jordan, tallied 19 and 16 points, respectively.
Tony Mitchell, the 2012-13 SBC Preseason Player of the Year, notched a
double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds to go with three
blocked shots.
Arkansas State concludes its 2012-13 regular season
this Saturday (March 2) night as the Red Wolves go up against instate rival
UALR Trojans in a Sun Belt Conference South Division showdown at Little Rock, Ark.
Opening tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. (CT) at UALR's Jack Stephens
Center. The game can be heard live on
the EAB Sports Radio Network with Matt Stolz calling the action.
AStAte Notes: Marcus Hooten's 18 points was a season high, bettering his 17 points set earlier this season at home versus Lamar (11/25) ... Kendrick Washington's seven offensive rebounds was a personal season game best, eclipsing his six offensive boards at FIU (11/29) ... Brandon Peterson was held scoreless for only the second time this season. He didn't register a point against North Texas (2/2), but managed 14 boards in the ASU home tilt ... Trey Finn's nine rebounds moved him into 11th place on A-State's all-time rebounding leaders list, surpassing Jim Ward's (1953-55) 650-career total. Finn has amassed 655 career rebounds in 118 games to date ... Arkansas State's bench has outscored the opposition's reserves in seven of the Red Wolves' last eight contests, which includes the past five outings to date ... The Red Wolves 25 percent shooting for the game was a team season low, surpassing the 34.4 percent (22-64) set at home against North Texas (2/2) ...
