BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (12/15/24) – Down 25 at the half, Arkansas State men’s basketball never quit and closed the gap with under five minutes to play, ultimately topping preseason American Athletic Conference favorite UAB 98-89 in overtime Sunday inside Bartow Arena.
A-State (9-3) outscored the Blazers (5-6) 70-36 in the final 25 minutes to flip the script for the largest comeback win in school history and largest in Division I since 2018. The Red Wolves were dominant in the pant, scoring 50 points inside while scoring 21 points on 15 offensive rebounds.
The Red Wolves became just the sixth team in Division-I history to trail by 25 or more points at the half and rally to win – tied for the third largest halftime deficit overcome. By coming back from down 27 in the second half, the Red Wolves were also only the eighth team to face that large of a deficit after halftime and still win – tied for the sixth-largest deficit overcome.
Five players scored in double digits, paced by Taryn Todd’s career-high 31 points on 12 field goals – four from 3-point range. Kobe Julien joined Todd in eclipsing the 20-point threshold with a season-high 25 points. Both Izaiyah Nelson (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Rashaud Marshall (14 points, 13 rebounds) registered double-doubles. Joseph Pinion added 12 points on three treys.
A-State dominated the glass 53-41 in the win and shot 44.3 percent (35-79) from the field, including 54.3 percent in the second half and OT. After going 1-for-13 in the first half from the perimeter, the Scarlet and Black caught fire after intermission, going 8-for-14 the rest of the way. At the free-throw line, the Red Wolves went 19-for-24 for a 79.2-percent mark.
UAB had 22 points apiece from Tyren Moore and Yaxel Lendeborg, who also grabbed 12 rebounds. Efrem Johnson and Ja’Borri McGhee added 10 points apiece. The Blazers shot 41.3 percent (31-75) for the night and went 10-for-31 (32.3 percent) from deep while converting 17-of-24 (70.8 percent) at the charity stripe.
The Red Wolves built an early two-score lead in the contest, leading 14-11 after a Julien 3-point play before the Blazers rattled off a 17-1 run to take a 28-15 lead. UAB’s lead grew to as much as 26, and it led 53-28 at the half.
Lendeborg gave UAB its largest lead of the night early in the second half, up 27 with 17:39 remaining. A-State pulled within 20 on a pair of Julien foul shots at the under-16, and then cut it to 10 on a Todd dunk with 9:45 left, sparking a 10-0 run that made it 72-70 with 7:17 to go.
A score by Julien closed the gap with 5:20 left, and then Todd scored to cap a 7-0 swing to make it 78-76. After Alejandro Vasquez tied it with a mid-range jumper, Todd drilled a trey at the 1:05 mark to put A-State ahead 83-80. With the Red Wolves up by two with under 20 seconds remaining, Lendeborg sent the game into overtime with a dunk in the final seconds, tying the contest at 84.
It was all Red Wolves in the extra period, with Julien opening with a trey with 3:54 left. Two free throws by Marshall and a score by Todd put A-State up 91-86 with 1:41 remaining. Moore countered with a trey to cut it to two with 1:23 on the clock, but that would mark UAB’s final points of the night, as A-State put the game on ice with a game-ending 7-0 run.
NEXT UP
Arkansas State begins Sun Belt Conference play Saturday, hosting Coastal Carolina. Tip-off against the Chanticleers is slated for 2 p.m. on ESPN+, while the radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network and the Red Wolves mobile app.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the A-State men’s basketball program, follow @AStateMB on Twitter/X and @astatemb on Instagram, while also liking the team’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateMB.
