By David Rogers. PENSACOLA, Fla. — A Freddy Hicks buzzer-beater at the end of regulation thrust No. 4 seeded Arkansas State into the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament Final on March 11, upsetting heavily favored, No. 1 seeded Appalachian State, 67-65.
The underdog Red Wolves used a smaller, four-guard set against the Mountaineers, known for their dominance inside the paint with sometimes three big men on the floor at the same time. Even so, the ball seemed to bounce Arkansas State’s way, especially on the offensive end where they collected 14 offensive boards leading to 13 second chance points. Altogether, the Red Wolves out-rebounded App State, 36-27.
Improving on their turnovers from the quarterfinal game vs. Georgia Southern, five against Arkansas State compared to 17 against the Eagles, did not seem to help App State in this game. Even a 21-3 advantage in bench points faded in comparison to the Red Wolves tenacious and disruptive defensive effort, overall.
In the press conference after the game, Arkansas State head coach Bryan Hodgson acknowledged the imposing inside presence of the Mountaineers’ big men, but calculated that the App State perimeter shooting left them vulnerable to his sharpshooting guards.
The strategy worked in the first half, the Red Wolves taking a 10-point lead into the locker room at halftime. Mountaineer head coach Dustin Kerns revealed that the App State halftime adjustments included going to a four-guard set. It worked, as the Mountaineers clawed their way back to take the lead at 62-61 with just over four minutes remaining.
The Mountaineers’ last lead was 65-63 on a 3-point jumper off the hands of Myles Tate at the 2:33 mark but Arkansas State was able to tie the game on a layup by guard Caleb Fields with 2:16 left on the clock. That’s where the score stood, 65-65, until the last gasp buzzer beater by Hicks.
Arkansas State now advances to Monday’s tournament championship game against the winner of the other semifinal between James Madison and Texas State.
App State’s 2023-24 season hangs in the balance, pending a potential NCAA bid based on the Sun Belt regular season championship and 27-win season.
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