JONESBORO, Ark. (1/25/25) – Behind a combined 36 points and eight 3-pointers made by Derrian Ford and Joseph Pinion, the Arkansas State men’s basketball team remained unbeaten inside First National Bank Arena with an 80-65 victory over Texas State Saturday afternoon.

The Red Wolves (16-5, 7-2 SBC) sank 11 from beyond the arc, including four apiece by Ford and Pinion, while converting an even 50 percent from the field on 29-of-58. Ford led A-State with a season-high 19 points, while Pinion added 17 and three steals. The 15-point win marked the largest margin of victory by either team in the series, and extended A-State’s home winning streak to 14 games dating back to last season – tying a 14-game run set from Feb. 26, 1990, to March 14, 1991.

A-State forced the Bobcats (12-9, 5-4) into 17 turnovers, tying their most committed all season, and scored 20 points off those takeaways. The Scarlet and Black doled out 19 assists on its 29 made baskets while also grabbing 11 steals on the defensive end.

Taryn Todd joined Ford and Pinion in double-digit scoring with 12 points – his 13^th straight game in double figures. Terrance Ford Jr. continued to lead the way at point, handing out eight assists to go along with eight points and four steals.

Pinion got the hosts started with a trey over two minutes into the contest before the visitors took an 8-5 lead on a bucket by Tylan Pope, who had 19 points for Texas State. Ford sparked a 10-0 swing with a 3-pointer, shifting momentum back to the Red Wolves, but the Bobcats scratched back to claim a 21-17 lead with under 10 minutes remaining in the half. A pair of free throws by Coleton Benson (15 points) put Texas State up by five – its largest lead of the day before Pinion and Ford combined for an 8-3 run to tie it up at 30 with two minutes to go before half.

Foul shots by Benson and Joshua O’Garro, who led all players with 21 points, put Texas State up by four, but the Red Wolves closed the period with six unanswered points, capped by a Pinion trey that put A-State on top 36-34 at intermission.

That half-ending score from Pinion ultimately shifted the momentum in favor of the Scarlet and Black, which began the second half on an 8-2 run capped by a Kobe Julien (9 points) lay-in to make it 44-36. A-State then pushed its lead out to double digits on a 3-point play by Julien, and later a four-point play from Todd made it a 13-point affair with just over 12 minutes remaining.

With 10:23 remaining, Felts joined the perimeter party with a three, expanding A-State’s lead out to 66-50. Todd found Nelson for a slam at the 2:12 mark that gave the Red Wolves their largest lead of the afternoon, up 17. Pope answered with a pair of scores before Nelson capped off the day with another jam inside 30 seconds.

NEXT UP

Arkansas State now turns its attention to its second four-game road stretch of the season, beginning Wednesday at Southern Miss. Tip-off against the Golden Eagles from Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg, Miss., is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+. The radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network and the Red Wolves mobile app.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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