PENSACOLA, Fla. (3/9/25) – Arkansas State men’s basketball knocked down 12 3-pointers to advance to the championship game of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the second year in a row, defeating top-seeded South Alabama 74-71 Sunday night inside the Pensacola Bay Center.

Of those dozen treys, Joseph Pinion accounted for five to score a career-high 23 points to lead the fourth-seeded Red Wolves (24-9) past the Jaguars (21-11). He was one of four double-figure scorers, as A-State shot 40.4 percent (23-57) from the field and 36.4 percent (12-33) from deep. The Scarlet and Black also forced 11 turnovers, including seven in the second half.

Pinion’s line came on 5-of-12 from long range, while he also grabbed six rebounds and handed out five assists. Kobe Julien added 14 points and five boards, while Terrance Ford Jr. and Izaiyah Nelson accounted for 11 and 10 points, respectively.

USA converted 25-of-59 from the floor (.424) but was limited to just 2-for-12 (.167) from beyond the arc. Barry Dunning Jr. led the Jaguars with a game-high 27 points and 13 rebounds, while Elijah Ormiston had 21 points and nine boards.

South Alabama scored the game’s first four points, and led by as much as five until Taryn Todd put the Red Wolves ahead 22-21 with a three – one of eight in the first 20 minutes. The Jaguars then reclaimed a two-point lead on a pair of Broom free throws, but A-State moved back ahead with a 7-0 run that made it 34-28 with 1:55 left.

South Alabama answered with a 6-0 swing to tie it at 34, but Pinion sent the Red Wolves into the half with a 37-34 edge with his fourth trey of the half.

Nelson scored early in the second half to put A-State back up by five, but the Jaguars roared back to take a 41-39 lead with a 7-0 run. The sides traded scores until a layup by Julien at the 8:27 mark put the Red Wolves ahead for good. A-State held USA without a field goal for nearly 3 minutes and built an eight-point lead before the Jaguars pulled back within three. However, clutch foul shooting late helped the Red Wolves remain in front by two scores and punch their ticket to Monday’s championship.

NEXT UP

A-State will take on third-seeded Troy in Monday’s championship game, which will be televised nationally on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. The teams split a pair of regular-season meetings, both winning on the road. The radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network, as well as the Red Wolves mobile app.

SOCIAL MEDIA

For the latest on the A-State men’s basketball program, follow @AStateMB on Twitter/X and @astatemb on Instagram, while also liking the team’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateMB.