It took just more than a minute for the UALR men’s basketball team’s first trip to Georgia State in more than two decades to start heading in the wrong direction.
Trojans Coach Steve Shields was hit with a technical foul while arguing with officials during a timeout 64 seconds into the game, Georgia State scored the first 11 points, and the Trojans never threatened in a 99-73 loss Saturday afternoon at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta in a game between old Trans America Athletic Conference rivals.
The Panthers won their ninth consecutive game and are the only team without a Sun Belt Conference loss. They made five of their first six shots to take a 13-2 lead less than three minutes into the game, and after Devonta White’s three-pointer made it 16-4 less than a minute later, led by at least 10 the rest of the game.
Georgia State (12-6, 5-0) made 22 of 32 shots (68.8 percent) from the field in the first half while taking a 59-29 lead into halftime and fell one point shy of becoming the first team to score 100 points against UALR in regulation since Texas-San Antonio beat UALR 107-104 on Jan. 27, 1990.
James White scored a career-high 23 points and was 11 of 13 from the free-throw line and Will Neighbour scored 18 points, but UALR (9-9, 4-2) couldn’t keep up with Georgia State’s shooting, particularly from three-point range.
R.J. Hunter made 6 of 10 three-pointers and finished with 25 points, while Manny Atkins made 4 of 9 threes and finished with 22. Curtis Washington, whose tip-in in the opening minutes led to Shields’ technical because he thought it should have been goal tending, had 14 points. Ryan Harrow had 12 points and White added 11.
Georgia State made 15 of 34 three-pointers and shot 53.1 percent from the floor for the game while tying a season-high points total.
In UALR’s past three games - losses to Troy and Georgia State and a victory at Western Kentucky - it has let opponents to make 38 of 86 three-pointers (44.1 percent).
Georgia State started the second half with a 7-2 run and took its largest lead, 66-31, on Atkins’ three-point play with 17:45 left. UALR trailed by at least 23 points the rest of the game.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 82, ARKANSAS STATE 77, 2OT
Arkansas State scored the final five points of the second half to force overtime, then couldn’t make a shot to take control in either overtime period of a loss Saturday night at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky.
ASU trailed 64-59 with 2:30 remaining in the second half when Brandon Reed made a three-pointer and Kendrick Washington, who had a career-high 20 points, made a layup with 1:32 left to force overtime.
The Red Wolves (10-7, 3-3 Sun Belt Conference) missed all three shots from the floor in overtime but forced a second overtime by making 6 of 8 free throws. Kirk Van Slyke made two free throws to give ASU a 68-67 lead with 2:39 left in the first overtime, but T.J. Price made an off-balance three-pointer to put Western Kentucky back up 70-68 with 2:18 left.
Kelvin Downs made two free throws with 1:30 left to tie it 70-70, and ASU had the ball with the game tied but Washington turned it over to force a second overtime.
The Hilltoppers (11-7, 3-2) then used a 7-0 run in the second overtime to build an 80-72 lead with 24 seconds left before Washington made a layup, which came after 10 consecutive missed shots in overtime.
Reed had 17 points for ASU, and Van Slyke had 14 before fouling out.
George Fant had a season-high 27 points for Western Kentucky, and T.J. Price scored 19.
SOUTHLAND MEN ABILENE CHRISTIAN 73, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 72
Abilene Christian (7-10, 1-3 Southland Conference) scored the game-winning basket on a goaltending call with no time left to hand Central Arkansas ( 4-12, 1-4) a loss at Moody Coliseum in Abilene, Texas.
UCA, which led by as many as 12 points earlier in the game, allowed ACU to take the lead 71-70 on two free throws by guard Parker Wentz with 21 seconds to play. UCA sophomore forward Tirrell Brown scored on the other end to put the Bears back in front, 72-71, with three seconds left.
But Wentz, a 5-9 sophomore guard who had 21 points, drove the length of the floor for what looked to be an uncontested layup. Brown stepped in and blocked the attempt, but it was ruled the shot was on the way down, which was confirmed by video review, giving the Wildcats the victory.
LaQuentin Miles had 19 points to lead UCA and DeShone McClure had 13.
Michael Grant chipped in 17 and Julian Edmonson 15 for ACU.
SWAC MEN SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY 60, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 56
In its first home game of the season, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (4-12, 2-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) couldn’t overcome a 29.2 percent (7 of 24) shooting performance in the first half en route to a loss to Southern University of Baton Rouge (9-9, 5-0) at H.O. Clemmons Arena in Pine Bluff.
UAPB played its first 15 games of the season on the road, including its first three SWAC games.
Davon Haynes scored 19 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds for UAPB, which finished 17 of 49 (34.7 percent) from the field. Tevin Hammond had 13 points while Marcel Mosley added 11.
Southern was led by Malcolm Miller with 14 points. Calvin Godfrey added 11 for the Jaguars, who shot 35.3 percent (18 of 51).
Sports, Pages 26 on 01/19/2014