Caleb Fields has 19 pts, Arkansas State men beat ULM

Eleven 3-point field goals helped the Arkansas State men’s basketball to a 74-72 win over ULM Friday at First National Bank Arena.

A-State (4-6, 1-2 Sun Belt) finished 11-of-24 (.458) beyond the arc, hitting 10 of its first 15 (.667) from long range. ULM (4-8, 2-3 Sun Belt) did not make a 3-pointer until the 10:39 mark of the second half, finishing 3-of-19 (.158) from 3-point range.

Caleb Fields paced A-State with 19 points while adding seven rebounds and six assists. Malcolm Farrington had 15 points, finishing 5-of-11 from 3-point range while Caleb London added 10 points, a season-high for both players. Norchad Omier had a game-high 12 rebounds, his seventh-consecutive game with 10 or more rebounds. Koreem Ozier led the Warhawks with 22 points.

The first 20 minutes featured six lead changes and four ties, with neither team leading by more than six points. A-State led 12-6 after the first four minutes, but ULM answered with a 10-2 run to lead 16-14 with 12:51 to play in the half. The Warhawks gained their largest advantage of the half, 27-22, with 6:51 in the period, but A-State took a 40-36 advantage to the halftime break.

ULM scored the first six points of the second half to lead, 42-40, but that was the last time the Warhawks had the lead. After Caleb Fields sank back-to-back free throws to put A-State ahead 45-44 with 16:25 to play, the Red Wolves held the lead for the remainder of the game. A-State led by as many as six in the half, leading 74-68 with 40 seconds to play. ULM free throws cut the Red Wolves lead to two and a missed free throw gave the Warhawks the ball with seven seconds to play.

The Warhawks missed a layup with 1.8 seconds remaining and a tip-in layup was ruled as a basket on the floor. After a lengthy review, officials determined the tip-in layup came after time expired, the Red Wolves came away with the 74-72 victory.

A-State finished the night hitting 47.4 percent (27-57) from the field while holding the Warhawks to 43.1 percent (28-65). The Warhawks were 13-of-20 (.650) at the stripe while A-State was 9-of-15 (.600). The Red Wolves had a 44-30 advantage on the glass, but were outscored 42-26 in the paint. ULM forced 22 A-State turnovers, but scored just 19 points off those turnovers.

A-State continues the two-game series against ULM Saturday at 4:00 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard across the EAB Sports Network and flagship station 107.9 KFIN. For the latest on A-State men’s basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@AStateMB), Facebook (/AStateMB) and Instagram (@astatemb).