Arkansas State men’s basketball drops Sun Belt opener at ULM

Making his first start, Markise Davis scored 22 points for the Arkansas State men’s basketball team, but ULM handed the Red Wolves an 84-72 defeat in the conference opener for both teams on Friday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Davis led A-State (3-5, 0-1 Sun Belt) with 22 points, 15 of which came in the second half, while Marquis Eaton added 19 points. Norchad Omier added six points and added 10 rebounds to pace the Red Wolves. Koreem Ozier and Russell Harrison led ULM (3-5, 1-0 Sun Belt) with 17 points.

A-State got off to a good start, leading 12-4 with 15:16 to play in the first half. After leading 13-6 with 12:10 remaining in the half, the Warhawks outscored the Red Wolves 25-5 in the next six-plus minutes and ULM held a 16-point lead, 45-29, at the break. A-State had an 18-11 advantage on the glass, but 12 Red Wolves turnovers led to 19 points for the Warhawks in the first 20 minutes.

ULM maintained at least the 16-point advantage much of the second half. The Warhawks benefited from strong shooting beyond the arc to lead by as many as 29, 81-52, with 6:14 to play. The Red Wolves used a 20-3 run to close the game and the final score of 84-72.

The Warhawks shot 48 percent (30-62) for the game, hitting 12-of-22 (55 percent) beyond the arc. A-State finished at 45 percent (24-53) from the field, hitting 7-of-19 (37 percent) from 3-point range. A-State finished with a 33-29 edge on the glass, but was outscored 28-22 in the paint and 17-13 in fast break points. ULM turned 19 A-State turnovers into 29 points while 15 Warhawk turnovers resulted in 17 points for the Red Wolves.

Conference play continues Saturday as the Red Wolves and ULM meet once again with tip-off set for 4:00 p.m. from Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard across the EAB Red Wolves 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).