Jonesboro, AR – (Contributed) – Arkansas State locked down Old Dominion to just 25 percent shooting Wednesday to surge to the 84-55 win in First National Bank Arena.
The Monarchs relied on perimeter defense, holding A-State to just 5-of-15 from three (33 percent), but the Red Wolves used that to their advantage to out-rebound ODU 49-39 and score 44 total points in the paint. Overall, A-State shot their fourth-best percentage of the season (45 percent), making 30 of their 66 shots.
Mimi McCollister loaded up the stat sheet with 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals, while hitting all three of her three-pointers. She was joined by Bella Weary (12), Crislyn Rose (11), Mia Tarver (10), and Zyion Shannon (10) in tallying double digits. Marlie Dickerson grabbed 10 rebounds and Wynter Rogers pulled in another eight on her own.
Old Dominion hit both free throws off of their first possession to score first, but it was all A-State after that as the Red Wolves set off a 13-2 run. Seven of the Monarchs’ 11 first-quarter points came at the charity stripe, but Rose and Shannon both scored four points to lead A-State to the 17-11 command.
Another 11-2 run tallied by committee early in the second established the double-digit lead, with four different players making multiple field goals and A-State outrebounding ODU 30-16 in the first half. The Red Wolves capitalized in the final seconds with a Tarver layup and a turnover forced with a McCollister layup as the buzzer sounded.
Arkansas State continued the dominance throughout the second half with a 14-9 advantage over the first seven minutes, then rattled off eight unanswered points in the final three minutes. 61 percent shooting (8-of-13) in the third quarter built the lead up to 28.
Bella Weary led the Red Wolves in the final quarter with seven points as A-State held pace with Old Dominion down the stretch on the way to the 29-point victory.
Arkansas State completes the home stand at First National Bank Arena hosting James Madison on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 11 a.m. Tickets are free to game with deals on food and drinks available. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, and live stats can be found at astateredwolves.com/stats.
