ASU clamps down on W. Kentucky
ARKANSAS STATE 63, WESTERN KENTUCKY 58
Sophomore guard Hanna Qedan made two free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining Sunday afternoon to secure a 63-58 victory over Western Kentucky in a Sun Belt Conference game at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro.
Qedan scored 12 points in the second half and made 3 three-pointers as ASU (6-9, 3-3 SBC) handed the Lady Hilltoppers (12-3, 5-1) their first conference loss. The Red Wolves held WKU well below its season average of 70.5 points per game and scored 25 points off 24 turnovers by the Lady Toppers.
“The one thing that stands out is how well we played defensively,” ASU Coach Brian Boyer said. “I was just really proud of how aggressive we were defensively and how we were able to just lock in down the stretch and got stops when we needed to.”
Ashley Olvera and Qedan finished with 15 points each to pace Arkansas State, while Jane Morrill added 11 and Jalen O’Bannon scored 12. Carlisha Wyatt pulled down seven rebounds, and Quinishia McDowell had five assists.
WKU jumped out to a 168 lead in the first half after the Red Wolves started 2 of 11 from the field. ASU outscored WKU 14-4 to take a 22-20 lead, but WKU responded with a 9-2 run take a 29-24 edge. ASU closed the gap 29-28 going into halftime after Olvera knocked down a shot with one second to go in the half.
ASU led 52-47 with 5:13 to go, but WKU scored five consecutive points to tie the score with 2:54 to go. Qedan gave ASU the lead for good with her third three-pointer ASU’s next trip down the floor, and the Red Wolves went 4-4 from the free-throw line in the final minute to secure the victory.
“It is a big part of our game and we probably could have won a game Wednesday night if we would have hit some free throws down the stretch,” Boyer said. “You have to make free throws and that starting group went 100 percent tonight. It is not only about getting to the line, but you have to make them too.”
ASU’s defense forced Western Kentucky in 24 turnovers and matched the Lady Toppers’ aggressiveness on nearly every possession. The Red Wolves tied a season high with 11 steals, including three from Qedan. ASU also put WKU on the free-throw line seven times and limited the Lady Toppers’ to just 2-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc.
“I was very nervous about our defense because we had elected to take a very aggressive approach to them,” Boyer said. “A lot of the teams that we had seen on film were sagging and switching and losing. So we just decided we were going to take a chance and be aggressive against them and we did an excellent job.”