SBC Tournament Game 3: #4 A-State 116 – #5 UALR 114 (4OT)
Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Three and a half hours later…this one finally ends! A game that will be marked down in Sun Belt record books as the first game to go into four overtimes in the Men’s Championship history.
Obviously with how things ended shows how the flow of the game went…close the entire time. However heading to the end of regulation A-State would go on a 7-0 run to catch back up forcing things then to go into OT. From then on the fight to the finish would be long and exhausting as a whole 20 extra minutes would be played…basically another half…and the Red Wolves would find themselves on the higher end once the 4th OT buzzer sounded.
From the looks of things…it seemed as if UALR should have won this one. However foul trouble would cripple the Trojans late. Four Trojans would foul out while one lone player would end up with 4…leaving the rest of the team to have to battle it out late. UALR would shoot 40% (36-89)…yes…89 shot attempts folks. They also shot 38% from the 3 point arc and 85% from the charity stripe (34-40). They also had 27 offensive boards, along with 32 second chance points. Their bench would once again prove to be strong as they boosted the offense by 38 points.
Trojan impact performers would include Leroy Isler (25pts; 5 reb), James White (20pts; 7 reb), and Josh Hagins (17pts; 11 reb). This squad tried their hardest to get to the semifinals but just fell short late…nothing to hang their heads about…they played valiantly until the end!
As for A-State…they kept fighting and fighting…and they ended on top! Their lack of foul trouble proved valuable late and they were able to capitalize on UALR’s fatigue. Across the stat sheet the Red Wolves shot better…but for most areas the Trojans would win the battle. But winning the small stats isn’t what matters most! A-State would shoot 44% from the floor…46% from 3…and 70% from the FT line. One of their more outstanding stats on the night was being able to capitalize on UALR’s 15 turnovers and score 21 points.
The Red Wolves key players include Ed Townsel (32pts; 7 reb; 6 ast), Kirk Van Slyke (24pts; 9 reb), Brandon Reed (23pts; 4 reb; 4 ast), and Kendrick Washington (11pts; 10 reb). My biggest worry for this squad is that they will be exhausted by tomorrow when the face Georgia State…as they now have played a game and a half more than the Panthers which could definitely play a factor in the contest.
Tonight’s game was sure a great one to remember. The game was tied 23 times and the lead changed sides 31 times…making it even more of an eventful game. Tomorrow’s game will sure to be eventful in its own way as well. That game will tip off at 2! Make sure you don’t miss it as the winner will head to the SBC Championship! Until tomorrow, have a great rest of your evening!