JONESBORO, Ark. — South Alabama used a 16-1 run early in the second half to pull away from Arkansas State and won 74-67, adding another Sun Belt Conference road victory to its men’s basketball season.
Watson’s Buzzer-Beater
The Jaguars produced the game’s first significant run late in the first half, holding Arkansas State without a field goal for 6:14 while outscoring the Red Wolves 9-1. That stretch gave South Alabama a 26-20 lead with just over two minutes left before halftime.
Arkansas State tied the game at 28 in the final 30 seconds of the half, but LaShun Watson banked in a long jumper at the buzzer to send the Jaguars to the locker room with a two-point lead.
Second-Half Separation
South Alabama broke the game open early in the second half with a 16-1 run and protected the lead the rest of the way.
Tilford Leads Scorers
Domonic Tilford led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range, and made 3 of 4 free throws.
DeAndre Coleman added 16 points and 15 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Coleman shot 4 of 11 from the field and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line. Watson finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, and Brandon Davis scored 10.
Donald Boone led Arkansas State with 17 points. JeJuan Brown added 14 and Daniel Bryant had 11.
Game Statistics
- Free throws: South Alabama made 21 of 34; Arkansas State made 20 of 27.
- Points in the paint: South Alabama 34, Arkansas State 26.
- Points off turnovers: South Alabama 24, Arkansas State 15.
- Bench points: Arkansas State 38, South Alabama 14.
Up Next
South Alabama, coached by Ronnie Arrow, returns to the Mitchell Center on Thursday, Jan. 22, to host Arkansas-Little Rock, which leads the Sun Belt’s West Division by two games. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m.
