State sports briefs

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

ASU's Matthews enters portal

Arkansas State forward J.J. Matthews has recently entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.

Matthews becomes the third player to transfer from last season's team that finished 16-16, including 8-12 in the Sun Belt Conference. Forward Melo Eggleston, who joined the Red Wolves in January of 2019 after playing one season at Wake Forest, and guard Kobe Wilson announced in March that they would enter the portal.

Eggleston has since landed at Bryant University.

Matthews, a 6-9, 235-pound redshirt senior, averaged 8.7 points and 4.8 rebounds last season for ASU. He also shot 54.1% from the floor and 67% from the foul line. The Virginia native scored at least 10 points in 14 games, with season-highs of 19 against Idaho on Nov. 17 and Coastal Carolina on Feb. 1.

ASU did recently add Tim Holland Jr., a 6-9 junior college transfer, that could help offset the loss of Matthews. Holland averaged nearly 15.7 points and 11.1 rebounds last season at Palm Beach State College.

-- Erick Taylor

GOLF

NLR's Lee wins in Texas

Mackenzie Lee of North Little Rock earned the victory Thursday in the American Junior Golf Association's Callaway Golf Texas Open in Willow Park, Texas.

After sharing the first-round lead with an even-par 71, Lee shot a 3-under 68 on Wednesday heading into the final round where she shot a 1-under 70 to defeat Michelle Zhang of Plano, Texas by three strokes.

Lee's final round included a birdie at the par-3 6th and the par-4 12th. She suffered a bogey at the par-4 10th.

For the three rounds, Lee had seven birdies and four bogeys.

-- Democrat-Gazette Press Services

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