COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Sun Belt Women

ASU finds mark, gets by UALR

Arkansas State guard Aundrea Gamble (24) elevates for a layup before UALR forward Keanna Keys (33) can block the shot in Thursday’s game at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro. Gamble scored 15 of her game-high 19 points in the second half to lead the Red Wolves to a 70-69 victory.
Arkansas State guard Aundrea Gamble (24) elevates for a layup before UALR forward Keanna Keys (33) can block the shot in Thursday’s game at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro. Gamble scored 15 of her game-high 19 points in the second half to lead the Red Wolves to a 70-69 victory.

JONESBORO -- One of the best defensive teams in the country had its winning streak end when it couldn't stop Arkansas State from scoring Thursday night.

photo

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

UALR forward Kaitlyn Pratt (left) looks for an opening around Arkansas State defender Jasmine Hunt during the second half.

photo

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Arkansas State players celebrate after upsetting UALR 70-69 to move within a half-game of first place in the Sun Belt Conference. The teams meet again Feb. 19.

And because of that, the race for the top spot in Sun Belt Conference women's standings is on again.

ASU not only ended UALR's 10-game winning streak, a stretch that included nine consecutive 20-point victories, but the Red Wolves pulled within a half-game of the top team in the standings with a 70-69 victory at the Convocation Center.

Jasmine Hunt's free throws with 5.0 seconds left gave ASU the lead for good, and Taylor Gault's rushed jumper from near the free-throw line at the buzzer didn't hit the rim as ASU put a halt to UALR running away from the pack in the conference race.

"If you lose this game we change our goals tomorrow. Simple as that," ASU Coach Brian Boyer said. "Your goals change tomorrow and you start talking about finishing second and what we can do to make the tournament and get to the postseason.

"Fortunately, we don't have to change our goals just yet."

The Red Wolves (14-7, 9-2) can thank an offense that flustered the Trojans' defense more than most teams have this year.

Aundrea Gamble, the Sun Belt's leading scorer, finished with 19 points, 15 in the second half, and the Red Wolves shot 56.3 percent from the floor against a team that was holding teams to 35.0 percent for the season. Their 70 points were the second-most this season against a team holding teams to 50.1.

ASU made 6 of 6 three-pointers and had 20 offensive rebounds.

"I thought they were very ready, took advantage of some things that hurt us, things that other teams hadn't been able to do," UALR Coach Joe Foley said. "We've got to do a better job defensively than that."

UALR (14-3, 9-1) kept coming back. Five times UALR took the lead, but never by more than two points and the first four leads were erased after one possession.

Its last lead came when Gault, who scored 12 of her team-high 18 in the second half, made a three-pointer with 52 seconds left to make it 69-68.

Gamble was called for a five-second violation on the following possession, giving the ball back to UALR. Alexius Dawn's three-pointer went off the side of the rim as the shot-clock ran down, and after Kaitlyn Pratt saved it from going out of bounds, Shanity James' layup attempt with 8 seconds left was no good and Pratt fouled Hunt.

Hunt was 1 for 4 at the line before stepping up and making two free throws to give ASU the lead and, eventually, the victory.

"I had it in my mind that, 'You know what, I got this,' " Hunt said.

Foley said he didn't think ASU should have gotten a chance to make the free throws.

"We shouldn't have shot the ball," said Foley, referring to James' missed layup. "We get the rebound. ... We should have dribbled it out and got fouled. Who knows what would have happened then."

James, who had 12 points, said she reacted off of instinct as the shot-clock buzzer sounded during the sequence.

"With everything going on -- the fans, the crowd, the bench, the buzzer -- everything just kind of came down at once."

The Trojans' first loss since Dec. 18 at South Dakota State had as much to do with what ASU was able to do offensively as any missed layup.

Hanna Qedan made 3 of 3 three-pointers to finish with 15 points, Brittney Gill added 10 points and Hunt finished with 9 points for the Red Wolves, who overcame 20 turnovers.

"Their game plan is to come in and take everybody out of what they want to do," Qedan said. "We're a high-scoring team. We stuck true to what we are and what we do and we executed it."

ASU was in control for much of Thursday's game, but UALR never let it get too far ahead.

UALR trailed 27-18 when Ka'Nesheia Cobbins converted three-point plays on consecutive possessions as the Trojans outscored the Red Wolves 12-1 and Keanna Keys' layup at the first-half buzzer cut ASU's lead to 35-34.

ASU outscored UALR 11-2 early in the second half to take a 53-45 lead with 10:48 left, and ASU led 62-54 with 6:06 left before Gault, a senior who is UALR's second all-time leading scorer, got going from outside. Gault made four three-pointers in less than five minutes, the last with less than a minute left to go up 69-68.

But ASU always had an answer.

"Any time you play Little Rock you've got to find ways to score," Boyer said. "We had players who always seemed to make big shots when we needed it."

Sports on 01/30/2015

Upcoming Events