Arkansas State men’s basketball handed out 28 assists on 36 made field goals Monday night and surged past Central Baptist College in the second half to take a 90-63 win at First National Bank Arena.
A-State (2-1) outscored the Mustangs 52-33 in the second half after leading by just eight at the half en route to the victory. Caleb Fields and Marquis Eaton accounted for 14 combined assists (7 each), as Eaton moved to fourth all-time in program history in career assists.
Norchad Omier led the Red Wolves with 16 points and 6 rebounds, while Fields and Desi Sills scored 12 apiece. Sill also grabbed 6 boards and handed out 4 dimes with 4 steals.
A-State shot 52.9 percent (36-68) from the field and 36.8 (7-19) from 3-point range and out-rebounded CBC 45-40. The Red Wolves dominated in the paint, out-scoring the Mustangs 28-2.
The Mustangs kept it close early on, with A-State’s largest lead in the first half coming at the 8:10 mark when Keyon Wesley hit a pair of free throws to make it 26-14. CBC cut it to 6 with 4:51 to play, but a Wesley lay-in and three by Christian Willis put the Red Wolves back in from by 11. After A-State pushed its lead back up to a dozen, the Mustangs score the final four points of the half to make it a 38-30 contest at the break.
In the second half, A-State left no doubt, surging to as much as a 28-point lead. The Red Wolves opened the half on a 20-5 run in the first seven minutes to lead 60-35 after a Fields layup. That 28-point advantage came with 54 seconds remaining when Caleb London knocked down a short jumper to make it 86-58.
A-State now turns its attention to a road test at Southeast Missouri State on Friday. Tip-off at the Show Me Center is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+ and on the radio on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network.
