Arkansas State women’s basketball routs ULM, wins 3rd straight game

A hot surge to end the regular season by the Arkansas State women’s basketball team continued Wednesday night, as the Red Wolves displayed a well-rounded offense and forced 22 turnovers in a 98-73 victory over ULM inside First National Bank Arena.

A-State (11-17, 6-11 SBC) picked up its third straight win and fourth in its last five games, shooting 47.4 percent from the floor on 37-of-78, including 40.0 percent (10-25) from 3-point range. The Red Wolves handed out 20 assists to those 37 buckets and forced 16 steals, scoring 24 points off turnovers.

The Red Wolves dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Warhawks (7-21, 3-14) 46-35 behind Anna Griffin’s fifth double-double of the season. Griffin scored 10 points with 10 boards in just under 16 minutes of action, and she was one of eight A-State players with eight points or more on the night.

Izzy Higginbottom led the way with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 6-for-6 at the free-throw line to go along with five steals in 20 minutes. Jade Upshaw was lethal from the perimeter, hitting 3-of-6 en route to 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench, leading A-State to a 43-23 advantage in bench scoring.

Keya Patton added 12 points with eight boards, while Melodie Kapinga and Lauryn Pendleton scored nine apiece. Mailyn Wilkerson and Leilani Augmon dropped eight, with Kiayra Ellis and Jada Williams scoring four points.

ULM shot 40.6 percent (26-64) from the field and 16-of-17 (94.1 percent) from the foul line, led by Bre Sutton’s 19 points. Myca Trail added 12, with leading scorer and rebounder Emma Merriweather being limited to just 10 points and six rebounds – all in the first half.

Neither team led by more than four in the opening quarter, with Higginbottom scoring nine of her 13 first-half points in the period to help A-State hold a 19-18 edge after one.

The Red Wolves heated up offensively in the second quarter, opening with seven unanswered points to force a ULM timeout. A-State shot 57.1 percent in the frame en route to outscoring the Warhawks 35-11 to lead 54-29 at intermission. The Scarlet and Black made six straight shots to end the half on an 11-0 run and scored 17 points off 17 takeaways in the first half.

A-State expanded its lead out to as much as 37 midway through the third with a 14-0 run, but the Warhawks pulled within 25 with 11 straight points – nine from the charity stripe late in the quarter. Upshaw halted the run with a trey with 14 seconds to go in the period, giving the hosts a comfortable 77-49 lead going into the final 10 minutes.

A pair of Patton free throws with 5:58 left pushed A-State’s lead back out to 33, and the Red Wolves answered every ULM score down the stretch to hold momentum and earn their third win in a row.

NEXT UP

A-State concludes its regular season Friday night inside First National Bank Arena, hosting Texas State (20-8, 12-5) with tip-off set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+. The radio broadcast can be heard live via the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network station 101.3 Bob-FM in Jonesboro.

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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