Arkansas State men’s basketball falls at Louisiana

Forward Omar El-Sheikh posted his fourth consecutive double-double to lead three Arkansas State players scoring in double figures Wednesday night against Louisiana, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a Ragin’ Cajuns squad that got a big night from Jordan Brown and shot 52 percent to claim an 85-74 victory at the Cajundome.

El-Sheikh finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while guard Caleb Fields and forward Markise Davis added 18 and 12, respectively, for A-State (11-19, 3-14). Louisiana (22-7, 12-5) countered with four players scoring in double-figures, including Brown with a game-high 24 points and team-best 12 rebounds.

Arkansas State actually put up one more shot than Louisiana, but finished with four fewer field goals made and a .443 percentage in comparison to the Ragin’ Cajuns .517 mark. The Red Wolves also shot just 52 percent at the charity stripe and were outrebounded 41-32 by Louisiana, which scored 17 second-chance points.

Although the game featured four ties early, Louisiana never trailed and built a 41-29 halftime lead. A-State began the second half with an 8-1 run to pull back within five, 42-37, but the Ragin’ Cajuns responded with a 7-0 run of their own at that point to push their advantage back to double figures.

While the Red Wolves were able close that gap back to six, 59-53, with 9:36 remaining, they couldn’t get any closer as Louisiana’s advantage reached as much as 15 points down the stretch.

Arkansas State closes out the regular season Friday, Feb. 24, with a 6:30 p.m. road game at ULM. The contest will appear on ESPN+, and every A-State men’s basketball game can be heard live on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network, including flagship station 107.9 FM in the Northeast Arkansas area.

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