A turnaround jumper from Taryn Todd just inside the free-throw line rimmed off in the final seconds Tuesday night as Arkansas State saw its season end with a 81-80 loss to top-seeded High Point in the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational at the Ocean Center in Daytona Bench, Fla.
No. 4 seed Arkansas State (20-17) trailed by 14 points at one point in the second half, but used a 9-2 scoring run in the final 2:18 of the game to give itself a chance to win it on the final possession of the contest.
Izaiyah Nelson scored a game-high 25 points to go along with 15 rebounds to lead the Red Wolves. Nelson entered the game having made just three shots from three-point range all season, but converted on 2 of his 3 shots from deep on Tuesday night. Todd finished with 23 points on 10 of 19 shooting from the field.
Freddy Hicks III continued his strong postseason play, scoring 16 points and converting on 7 of 8 free-throw attempts. Caleb Fields added 13 points and seven assists in his 152nd and final game with Arkansas State.
High Point (27-8) was led by Kezza Giffa, who finished with a team-high 22 points before fouling out of the game with 1:47 remaining. Kimani Hamilton scored 17 points and collected eight rebounds in the win. Juslin Bodo Bodo battled with Nelson down low all night and finished with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Duke Miles chipped in 16 points off the bench for the Panthers.
Nelson paced the Red Wolves early, scoring 14 points in the first eight minutes of the game as High Point held a 21-17 lead at the under-12 media timeout. A fast break dunk from Hicks gave Arkansas State its first lead of the game at 22-21 with 10:28 remaining in the first half. The two teams continued to go back-and-forth until the Panthers created some separation by going on a 10-3 run in the final 2:12 of the opening half to take a 46-39 halftime lead.
The Red Wolves stayed close early in the second half. A dunk from Nelson at the 14:19 mark pulled Arkansas State to within 56-51, but High Point would score the next nine points to push its advantage up to 65-51 with 11:57 remaining.
Facing the large deficit, Arkansas State ratcheted up its defense by pressuring the Panthers full court. The adjustment worked as High Point turned the ball over six times in the second half as the Red Wolves crawled back into contention.
A layup from Todd cut the deficit to 81-80 with just 13 seconds left. With the shot clock off, Derrian Ford fouled Miles with 11 seconds remaining on the clock. Miles would miss both free throws, giving the Red Wolves an opening to win the game on the final possession before Todd's last second missed shot.
Both teams shot the ball well in the high-scoring affair. The Panthers knocked down 48.4% of their shots from the field, while the Red Wolves shot 42.9% from the field and 36% (9 of 25) from three-point range.
With the win, High Point advanced to the championship game of the tournament where it will face Seattle University. The title game will be played at 4 p.m. Central today and broadcast on ESPN2.