The Sun Belt Conference's best three-point shooting team showed its versatility in that area for a road victory Saturday.
Arkansas State trailed by one point at halftime, but five different players combined to make eight three-pointers in the second half to pull away for a 73-63 victory over Louisiana-Monroe at Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, La.
Louisiana-Monroe, the only Sun Belt team yet to win a league game, led 33-32 at halftime, but Conner Kern made four second-half three-pointers, while Rashad Lindsey, Donte Thomas, Devin Carter and Deven Simms made one apiece for the Red Wolves, who won their fourth consecutive game.
ASU shot 44.4 percent (24 of 54) for the game and made 12 of 22 three-pointers. The Red Wolves, shooting a Sun Belt-best 38.7 percent from three-point range, held the Warhawks to 41.5 percent (22 of 53) shooting and had 20 assists and only 8 turnovers.
Lindsey led ASU with 15 points, Kern had 12, and Thomas had 10 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds.
"That's how we're going to win, is sharing the basketball," ASU Coach Grant McCasland said on his postgame radio show. "How do you win on the road? You make stops and make people play defense. You get good looks and you knock them down."
ASU didn't waste time taking control in the second half.
Thomas made a free throw, C.J. Foster scored inside, Thomas converted a three-point play and Jahmiah Simmons scored to finish ASU's 8-0 run to start the half.
A Kern three-pointer pushed it to 46-35, and after Louisiana-Monroe scored the next seven points, Simms answered with a three to make it 49-42. The Warhawks got within four twice in the final six minutes, but both times the Red Wolves answered with threes.
Carter's three made it 60-53 with 4:58 left, then a Kern three with 3:02 left made it 63-56. Lindsey followed with another three to make it 66-56 with 1:26 left.
Kern's 12 points, his high in a Sun Belt game this season, came after he went scoreless in the past three games.
"Conner played great," McCasland said. "A huge game. His five defensive rebounds were as equally important as his four threes. His effort was great."
Sports on 01/29/2017