ASU women move to quarters with win

Arkansas State women’s basketball Coach Destinee Rogers kept her message simple as her team headed into overtime Wednesday.

“This is what we want,” she said Had the Red Wolves known they’d be playing bonus basketball while up 14 points in the second quarter, maybe Rogers would’ve thought otherwise.

But after coming from down four points in the final 30 seconds of regulation? ASU smelled blood. Taking their kill-or-be killed mentality to another level, the No. 11 seed Red Wolves refused to die in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, stunning sixth-seeded Georgia Southern 81-76 in overtime at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla.

Batesville native Izzy Higginbottom scored 17 of her career-best 28 points after halftime — including 15 straight in the fourth quarter — and either scored or assisted on 23 of the Red Wolves’ final 31 points.

“She was struggling and right before she went on a run, we locked eyes,” Rogers said of Higginbottom. “I said, ‘Hey, stop thinking. Just play.’ … She showed you what she’s capable of doing. She can put a team on her back.”

The Red Wolves led by double digits for much of the first half.

Between foul trouble for Eagles star Terren Ward — the first-team All-Sun Belt honoree ranked second in the conference at 18.1 points per game — and 15 Georgia Southern turnovers that led to 18 ASU points, the Red Wolves carried a 36-27 advantage into halftime.

But it vanished. The Eagles scored on their opening possession of the fourth quarter, going up by five — what would wind up the largest lead of the game for Georgia Southern (20-8).

That’s when Higginbottom took over. Her 14th and 15th points eventually allowed ASU (13-18) to tie at 65-65 with 4:22 remaining, only for the Eagles to stretch their lead back to four.

Anna Griffin then knocked down the biggest shot of the contest with 26 seconds to play, stepping back for a three-pointer from the top of the key to bring the Red Wolves within 71-70.

After Ward made 1 of 2 free throws, Griffin provided the critical assist, passing to Little Rock native Lauryn Pendleton on a give-andgo, setting up the baseline jumper that tied the game at 72-72 and eventually forced overtime.

“A lot of experience and IQ came with that shot,” said Pendleton, who had 15 points and seven rebounds. “They were doubling Izzy … and if you read the scout, the pull-up is my skill, so I knew I could make it.”

Once ASU avoided multiple last-gasp attempts in regulation from Georgia Southern, which pulled down a whopping 27 offensive rebounds, it was all Red Wolves in overtime.

ASU scored the first six points — four on Higginbottom jumpers — and with an opportunity to eventually pull within two points inside the final 30 seconds, the Eagles missed two free throws.

That set the stage for Higginbottom once more, and the sophomore iced the game with two free throws, finishing 11 for 11 at the line and sending the Red Wolves onto the quarterfinals where they’ll meet Southern Mississippi at 5 p.m. Central on Friday.

“We just knew that we were ready for the moment,” Higginbottom said.