Red Wolves’ Runs Too Much for Cajuns, 87-70

Ed Townsell scored a career-high 31 points and Arkansas State used a 29-6 advantage from the free throw line to defeat Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns 87-70 before 2,734 fans at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro, AR.

The Cajuns (5-9, 1-2 Sun Belt) took an early 2-0 lead, but ASU scored the next 13 points to take a lead they would never relinquish.  The Cajuns came back from a 14 point deficit to cut the lead to three, 31-28 with 2:43 left in the first half.  But the Red Wolves (7-5, 1-2) then used a 7-2 run to close the first half with a 38-30 lead, then scored the first eight points of the second half to close out a 15-2 run and extend the lead to 46-30.  The Red Wolves led by as many as 24 in the second half before the Cajuns cut the lead to eleven on two separate occasions late in the game.

Elfrid Payton scored 20 points to lead the Cajuns, but only shot 9-24 from the field.  Alan-Michael Thompson added thirteen for UL, while Shawn Long scored eleven and Josh Soto had a career high ten, all in the first half.

Townsell was joined in double figures by freshman "Gator" Worsham with 18 points and Marcus Hooten with eleven.

Arkansas State was 29-37 at the free throw line, while the Cajuns were just 6-10.  The Cajuns were whistled for 24 fouls in the game, while ASU was charged with just ten.