MONROE, La. (KAIT) – In the face of adversity, oftentimes the best option is to stay the course.
That proved true for the Arkansas State women’s basketball team Monday night, halting a five-game losing skid with a dominant 82-60 rout at ULM inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
The resilient Red Wolves (11-12, 4-6 SBC) got back on the winning track with 31 points off 16 takeaways against the Warhawks (4-19, 0-9) and overcame early foul trouble. With the win, A-State picked up a weekend split after being on the road for six days due to Thursday’s contest against ULM being postponed to Monday due to moisture on the floor. The victory also marked the fifth straight in the series versus the Warhawks.
Lauryn Pendleton led A-State in scoring with 19 points, 17 of which came in the first half. Jireh Washington dropped 18 points (12 in the second half) on a 4-of-6 performance from 3-point range to go along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Trinitee Jackson notched her eighth double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Jade Upshaw registered 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting – 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
A-State shot 50.8 percent from the floor (32-of-63), while going 12-of-27 from 3-point range (44.4 percent) and sharing the ball well with 22 assists on those 32 made baskets. The Scarlet and Black also controlled the boards behind Jackson’s double-double, out-rebounding ULM 36-30.
ULM shot 41.8 percent from the field (23-of-55) and 33.3 percent (4-of-12) from deep after starting off with a 46.4-percent clip in the first half. A-State’s defense cooled off the Warhawks, allowing a 37.0-percent mark in the second half of play. Kyren Whittington led ULM with a game-high 23 points as the lone Warhawk in double figures.
Both squads shot at a 50-percent clip in the opening quarter, with A-State connecting on four of its seven from 3-point range to lead 25-16 after the game’s first 10 minutes. The Red Wolves led by as much as a dozen in the period after a Washington trey at the 3:09 mark.
ULM hung around in the second quarter, cutting a 13-point margin down to just three on a 3-point bucket by Whittington, who scored 15 first-half points. The Red Wolves responded with a 7-0 run to close the half, with Pendleton sending the teams into the locker room with a trey in the final seconds. Behind Pendleton’s 17 first-half points, A-State led 46-35 at the half.
Arkansas State created separation in the third quarter, outscoring the Warhawks 20-13 and limiting ULM to just 35.7 percent from the field on 5-of-14 shooting. Jackson was key in the Red Wolves’ second-half surge, sinking a pair of 3-point plays in the quarter, including one as part of an 8-0 run that made it 60-42 with 3:19 remaining in the quarter. A-State held a commanding 66-48 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Red Wolves continued to push ahead in the final 10 minutes, expanding the lead out to 28 midway through the quarter with a 12-0 stretch that Washington capped off with a pair of treys. ULM closed the contest on an 8-2 run, but it was all for naught as A-State closed out its Louisiana road swing with the victory.
NEXT UP
A-State continues its road stretch, but this time remaining in the Natural State, traveling to Little Rock to face the rival Trojans at 2 p.m. Saturday inside the Jack Stephens Center. The game can be viewed live on ESPN+ while the radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network flagship station 95.3/96.9 The Ticket/970 AM.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the A-State women’s basketball program, follow @AStateWB on Twitter and @astatewbb on Instagram, while also liking the team’s Facebook page at //Facebook.com/RedWolvesWBB.
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