UC Davis sank 12 3-pointers to shoot past the Arkansas State men’s basketball team 75-60 Friday night at the University Credit Union Center.
UC Davis (3-1) led wire-to-wire and shot 49.1 percent from the field, including 12-of-24 (.500) beyond the arc. A-State (2-2) was limited to 35.0 percent (21-60) shooting, 5-of-18 (.278) from 3-point range, in the loss. Caleb Fields posted a career high 25 points to lead all scorers while Malcolm Farrington added 13 points and Terrance Ford Jr. had 10 points, both off the bench. Robby Beasley led four players in double figures for the Aggies with 15 points.
The Red Wolves faced a 31-25 deficit at the break shooting 27.3 percent (9-33) from the field in the first 20 minutes. A-State snagged six steals in the first half and UC Davis totaled 10 turnovers, but the Red Wolves had just four points off those 10 Aggie miscues.
A-State cut that deficit to two, 37-35, with 15:44 to play, but a 9-0 spurt saw the Aggies regain control. Back-to-back 3-pointers and a three-point play made it 46-35 with 14:19 to go. The Red Wolves trimmed the deficit back to three, 52-49, with 8:42 left, but the Aggies again answered with 15-4 spurt to build a 14-point advantage, 67-53, with 4:56 left. The Red Wolves were unable to get within double figures the remainder of the game.
Izaiyah Nelson led A-State with eight rebounds while Omar El-Sheikh and Fields each corralled seven boards. UC Davis won the battle on the glass 40-33 and held a slight advantage in second chance points, 14-12. The Red Wolves held an 18-12 advantage in turnovers and outscored the Aggies 20-8 in points off turnovers. A-State went to the charity stripe a season high 20 times and converted 65.0 percent (13-of-20) while the Aggies knocked down 11-of-18 (.611).
A-State returns to First National Bank Arena Tuesday against UT Martin with tip-off at 5:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
