Kemy Osse was struggling through one of his worst nights in his final home game Monday.
The UALR Trojans’ senior missed on his first seven attempts against Georgia Southern. But after UALR had clawed back to give itself a chance in the final seconds, his fellow senior didn't hesitate to pass him the ball.
Osse’s three-pointer from the right wing with 8.1 seconds left was the difference in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's 56-54 victory over Georgia Southern in the season's final game at the Jack Stephens Center.
Osse, whose parents and brother from Montreal, Canada were watching him play for the first time, said he had no reservations taking a shot when his night had been so tough.
“That's the way I wanted to go out," said Osse, whose final shot of his career on his home floor capped an improbable comeback and snapped a four-game losing streak for the Trojans (14-15, 5-11), who three times trailed by 10 points or more.
UALR, which will now enter the Sun Belt tournament as either the No. 9 or 10 seed, trailed 17-5 just six minutes into the game, 39-28 six minutes into the second half and 45-35 with 11:42 left. After cutting into the lead, Georgia Southern's Jake Allsmiller's three made it 50-42 with 7:25 left.
But the Eagles (18-12, 11-6), who fell from second to a tie for third place with the loss, made only two more shots from the floor as the Trojans clawed back. Andre Jones made consecutive driving layups with less than two minutes left, then Osse's three from just in front of UALR's bench served as the game-winner when Ike Smith's final shot went off the backboard.
The victory was UALR's first since Feb. 6 and came two days after a 71-54 home loss to Georgia State.
"I thought tonight we came with a totally different fight than we had in the past," UALR Coach Wes Flanigan said. "They came out and fought for each other. They fought for Little Rock. We still went through our little dry spell, but we figured out a way to overcome it."
The Trojans trailed 54-53 after Jones drove the left side of the lane for a layup with 1:43 left and they then got consecutive stops to get another chance. When Georgia Southern's Tookie Brown missed a free throw with 23.6 seconds left, and Jackson rebounded the ball, Flanigan called a timeout with 17.7 seconds left.
Flanigan drew up a play for Jackson to drive the right side of the lane. When defenders collapsed on him, he found Osse on the wing, and didn't think twice about Osse's struggles shooting the ball.
"Kemy did what he does best," said Jackson, who had a team-high 16 points. "And that's big shots."
Flanigan was almost as pleased with Jackson's handling of the final seconds.
"We've been talking to him about being a playmaker," Flanigan said. "Being a scorer, but being a playmaker, too. He made the right pass at the right time tonight. Mr. Osse, our guy, stepped up and made another big one for us."
The defense was just as important as the big shots for the Trojans. UALR was held below 60 points for a fifth consecutive game, and finished 20 of 45 (44.4 percent) from the floor, 6 of 20 from three-point range and they committed 15 turnovers.
But Georgia Southern was held to its lowest point total against a Sun Belt team while shooting 36.4 percent (16 of 44), 9 of 23 from three-point range and committing 18 turnovers.
Ike Smith, the Sun Belt's top scorer, had 15 points and Tookie Brown, second in scoring, had 8. It was just the third time a Sun Belt team had held both players under 20 points in a game this season. Jake Allsmiller tried to pick up the slack, scoring 19 points while making 4 of 6 threes. His three-pointer with 7;25 left gave Georgia Southern a 50-42 lead.
But the Eagles were 2 for 7 with three turnovers the rest of the game, providing the Trojans the chance they needed.
"During the course of the year, when we haven't shot the ball well, when things haven't gone well for us offensively, we've let that affect us on the defensive end," Flanigan said. "That never occurred tonight. We kept fighting."
SUN BELT MEN
ARKANSAS STATE 78, GEORGIA STATE 67
The Arkansas State Red Wolves established a six-point halftime lead on Monday night at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro and gradually increased control in the second half to defeat Georgia State 78-67 in the Red Wolves’ final Sun Belt home game.
The victory moves ASU (20-9, 11-5) into sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt Standings, with games remaining at South Alabama and Troy later this week.
ASU trails Sun Belt leader Texas-Arlington (23-6, 13-3) by two games.
ASU led 54-49 at the 12:07 mark in the second half, and outscored the Panthers 10-1 to lead 64-50 with 7:13 to play. Georgia State (18-11, 11-6) never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Georgia State is tied with Georgia Southern (18-11, 11-6), which lost at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Monday night.
Devin Carter led ASU with 20 points and four rebounds. Jahmiah Simmons contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds despite playing with four fouls.
SWAC WOMEN
JACKSON STATE 80, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 56
Jackson State outscored the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 41-19 in the first half and rolled to a victory at H.O. Clemmons Arena in Pine Bluff Monday night.
Jackson State (10-16, 4-12 SWAC) was led by Derica Wiggins, who had 26 points on 9 of 19 shooting and 7 of 8 free throws. Kierra Adams added 20 points while making 8 of 13 shots from the floor.
Jackson State shot 44.9 percent (31 of 69) from the floor, despite making 2 of 10 free throws. The Lady Tigers made 16 of 22 free throws, outrebounded UAPB 49-41, holding a 13-8 edge in second-chance points. Jackson State collected 22 turnovers with 12 coming off steals.
Jackson State outscored UAPB 42-22 in the lane and 21-19 off turnovers.
Sports on 02/28/2017