Arkansas State Falls to Troy in Sun Belt Semifinals
Arkansas State’s run in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament came to an end Sunday afternoon as the Red Wolves fell to Troy 83-73 in the semifinal round at the Pensacola Bay Center.
Arkansas State finished the game shooting 40 percent from the field, connecting on 25 of 62 attempts, while also hitting 12 of 31 shots from beyond the arc for 39 percent.
D’Arrah Allen led the Red Wolves with 18 points, while Mimi McCollister pulled down a team-high six rebounds and matched Crislyn Rose with a team-best five assists.
Payton Fields helped Arkansas State get off to a strong start, knocking down three early shots from deep. Troy answered with a 7-0 run, but the Red Wolves responded with an 8-1 run of their own, highlighted by four points from Bella Weary. Arkansas State held a 25-23 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Red Wolves struggled offensively in the second quarter, managing just two field goals as Troy outscored Arkansas State 20-7 in the period to take control of the game.
Arkansas State fell behind by as many as 19 points in the third quarter before Allen and Weary sparked a 12-0 run that included three made three-pointers to cut the deficit to seven. Troy answered with a late surge to extend its lead back to double digits heading into the fourth quarter.
A layup from McCollister and five quick points from Allen kept the Red Wolves within single digits early in the final period. However, Troy responded with a 10-point run over a three-minute stretch to push the lead back to 18.
Arkansas State continued to fight back, trimming the margin with a pair of three-pointers from Allen, but the Trojans maintained their advantage and secured the 83-73 victory at the final buzzer.
With the loss, the Red Wolves finished the season with a 24-9 overall record and a 13-4 mark in Sun Belt Conference play.