LOUISIANA TECH 59,
ARKANSAS STATE 56
Arkansas State sliced a 12-point Louisiana Tech lead to a pair in the final minute Thursday afternoon, but the Lady Techsters held off the Red Wolves in ASU's 2022-23 season opener at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, La.
Little Rock native Lauryn Pendleton led the Red Wolves with 13 points and six rebounds in 39 minutes and Batesville native Izzy Higginbottom -- in her debut after transferring from Missouri -- matched Pendleton with 13 points and also dished out a game-high four assists.
ASU led 21-16 after a quarter and 35-28 at halftime, yet a 14-0 third-quarter run put Louisiana Tech (2-0) up 46-43 going into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Techsters stretched their lead to as many as 12 in the period before Virginia transfer Anna Griffin jumpstarted a 10-0 Red Wolf run. ASU (0-1) had a chance to tie the game in the last 60 seconds and potentially send the game to overtime, but Higginbottom's three-point try just before the final horn came up short.
-- Mitchell Gladstone