The Red Wolves Let One Slip Away in Overtime Loss at Troy

Courtesy Arkansas State University Athletics Department

TROY, Ala. (1/24/13) – Troy’s Emil Jones made a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds to go in regulation to force overtime and the Trojans would go to hand the Arkansas State University men’s basketball team a 74-67 loss this Thursday (Jan. 24) in Sun Belt Conference (SBC) action at TU’s Trojan Arena in Troy, Ala.

Arkansas State held a 61-58 lead with 9.6 seconds left in regulation as junior guard Ed Townsel made a pair of free throws. The Red Wolves then fouled to prevent Troy from attempting a potential three to tie the game, but ASU was unable to secure the rebound on a missed free throw. The Trojans would make A-State pay for the missed opportunity and pay dearly as Emil Jones hit a three-pointer from the right wing with 2.2 ticks left on the clock. A desperation shot by sophomore guard Rakeem Dickerson was just off the mark as regulation time expired. The Red Wolves certainly didn’t help their cause by going without a field goal in the regulation’s final six minutes. ASU went from hot to cold in the first and second halves as the Red Wolves turned in a 25.9% (7-27) shooting proficiency in the second half after knocking down 12-of-19 (63.2%) in the opening stanza.

A-State started off the extra session facing a deficit as Troy tallied five straight to go up 66-61 at the 2:28 mark. The Red Wolves managed to cut the Trojans’ lead down to three points on as many occasions, but could get no closer. Senior guard Marcus Hooten’s free throws with 23 seconds remaining made it a three-point game (70-67) for the last time as Troy scored the next four to put the game away. 

“This was a terrible loss for us as we had the game won four different times but just gave it away,” said ASU head coach John Brady. “Our effort was fine but the execution was very poor. If you don’t make the plays at the end, you can see what the result is. It’s a tough lesson to learn.”

The Red Wolves wasted a double-figure scoring performance from four players. Freshman guard Cameron Golden recorded a game-high 18 points, hitting six-of-nine triples, while senior forward Brandon Peterson had his seventh double-double of this season with 15 points to along with a game-best 12 rebounds. Ed Townsel added 14 and freshman guard-forward Raeford Worsham produced 12 points off the bench. 

For the game, ASU shot 36.5% (19-52) overall from the floor and made 20-of-24 (83.3%) free throws in the contest. The Trojans, meanwhile, managed to shoot 48.2% (27-56) overall and connected on 13-of-18 (72.2%) on their free throws.

The Red Wolves hit nine-of-22 (40.9%) three-pointers and were outrebounded 37-34 by the Trojans, who made 35% (7-20) from behind the three-point line. 

The opening half was relatively close throughout as the Red Wolves’ overcame an early deficit to lead most of the way. The largest lead for A-State would be at seven points on five occasions. Troy came back from being down by seven at the midway point to tie it at 13-all with 8:18 left in the stanza. From there, ASU would go on a 15-8 run in the next five minutes to take a 28-21 advantage at the 3:20 mark on Brandon Peterson’s layup. Each team would register five points apiece in the time remaining as the Red Wolves settled on a 33-26 lead going into the half. 

Emil Jones’ 16 points was tops among four players in the double-figure scoring column for Troy, which is now 8-12 overall and 3-6 in the conference. 

Arkansas State, which is 11-8 overall and 5-5 in the SBC’s West Division to date with the disappointing loss, returns home this Saturday (Jan. 26) to face Florida Atlantic in a Sun Belt Conference outing at the ASU Convocation Center in Jonesboro, Ark. Opening tip versus the Owls is slated for 7:30 p.m. (CT) in a game to be be televised live on both the Sun Belt Network and ESPN 3.

Tickets for the ASU-FAU matchup can be purchased by contacting the ASU Ticket Office at (870) 972-2781 or 1-888-ASU-FANS. For more information and the latest Red Wolves’ news, visit the official ASU Athletics website at www.astateredwolves.com.