JONESBORO - Arkansas State needed tenacious defense and Melvin Johnson III’s efficient offense to shake off the rust of a nine-day layoff Monday night against Western Kentucky.

Johnson scored ASU’s first six points and finished with 22 points to lead the Red Wolves (13-8, 6-4) to a 72-58 victory in the Hilltoppers’ final trip to the Convocation Center as a Sun Belt Conference member.

ASU’s victory came after a nine-day break from its last game, an 83-73 victory at Troy on Feb. 1. The layoff seemed to affect the offensive rhythm for everyone other than Johnson, who made 8 of 12 shots (66.6 percent) to offset his teammates, who were a combined 11 of 36, in front of an announced crowd of 2,261.

“The timing was off, we didn’t execute it exactly right,” ASU Coach John Brady said, “but I think as the game went on we settled down offensively and started doing what we needed to do.”

What ASU did well throughout was play defense, holding Western Kentucky to 37 percent shooting in an effort Brady said was just as good as the one he saw in a 77-49 victory over UALR on Jan. 25.

“It was a repeat performance defensively of how we guarded Little Rock here,” Brady said. “You do that every night, you’ve got a chance to win every time.”

Especially when scoring threats Kirk Van Slyke, Rakeem Dickerson and Ed Townsel struggled as they did Monday.

Van Slyke, ASU’s leading scorer, finished with two points after spending much of the game in foul trouble. Dickerson scored five after a season-high 19 against Troy, and Ed Townsel missed 6 of his first 7 shots and ended up with 7 after a 19-point performance against Troy.

But Johnson made 8 of his first 11 shots after scoring 5 in an 82-77 double-overtime road loss to Western Kentucky on Jan. 18.

Western Kentucky (16-8, 8-3) was trying to win for the seventh consecutive game two days after making 12 three-pointers, including a Trency Jackson three at the buzzer, to beat UALR on Saturday in Little Rock.

The Hilltoppers made 7 of 19 three-pointers Monday, but were 10 of 27 on two-point shots, and they never came close to repeating the comeback that brought them from 13 points down in the final eight minutes to beat UALR.

Western Kentucky made it 40-34 with 11:37 left, but Johnson hit two free throws, then Cameron Golden added two more to go up 44-34 with 9:41 left, and ASU twice led by 18 points. Golden finished 11 points, the only other ASU player with more than nine points.

Chris Harrison-Docks led Western Kentucky with 14 points, but could not make up for the lack of production from George Fant and T.J.Price, who scored two after they combined for 46 in the Hilltoppers’ double-overtime victory 23 days ago.

“They had to go somewhere else to score,”Brady said, “and they couldn’t put enough points together to beat us without those guys scoring at least 25-30 for them collectively.”TOP 25 MEN KANSAS STATE 85, NO. 7 KANSAS 82

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Marcus Foster scored 20 points, including two free throws in the closing seconds of overtime, and Kansas State held on to beat No. 7 Kansas.

Will Spradling added 15 points for the Wildcats (17-7, 7-4 Big 12), who blew a nine-point lead with less than 2 minutes left in regulation, only to survive for their third victory over the Jayhawks (18-6, 9-2) in 26 games played at Bramlage Coliseum.

Andrew Wiggins scored 16 points for the Jayhawks. Perry Ellis had 19 points, Naadir Tharpe added 13 and Brannen Greene scored 10 for Kansas.

In other games involving top 25 men’s teams, Remi Dibo scored a career-high 20 points to lead West Virginia to a 102-77 victory over No. 11 Iowa State (18-5, 6-5) in Morgantown, WVa. Juwan Staten added 19 points and Eron Harris and Terry Henderson each had 16 for the Mountaineers (15-10, 7-5 Big 12). ... Joe Harris scored 19 points and No. 17 Virginia (20-5, 11-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) stretched its winning streak to eight games by beating Maryland 61-53 in the Terrapins’ last visit as an ACC rival.SWAC MEN ARK.-PINE BLUFF 76, ALABAMA STATE 71

Tevin Hammond scored 22 points as Arkansas-Pine Bluff (8-15, 6-5 Southwestern Athletic Conference) nearly blew a 16-point halftime lead, but hung on for a victory over Alabama State (14-8, 8-3) at H.O. Clemmons Arena in Pine Bluff.

Marcel Mosley had 12 points and Ghiavonni Robinson added 10 for UAPB. The Golden Lions held Alabama State to 19 first-half points, on 31 percent shooting.

DeMarcus Robinson scored 20 points for Alabama State, while Jamel Waters added 15.

Alabama State battled back after being down 35-19 at halftime and took a 61-58 lead after two Waters free throws and a Bobby Brown basket with 5:38 left.

But UAPB closed out the game on an 18-10 run.

SWAC WOMEN ALABAMA STATE 69, ARK.-PINE BLUFF 51

Nakiya Smith scored 16 points off the bench to lead Alabama State (10-12, 3-8 Southwestern Athletic Conference) to a victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-18, 2-9) on Monday afternoon at H.O. Clemmons Arena in Pine Bluff.

The Hornets led 35-24 at halftime. They shot 40 percent (26 of 65) while holding the Lady Lions to 27.3 percent shooting (18 of 66).

Christina Lasane led UAPB with 17 points.

Sports, Pages 17 on 02/11/2014