Shooting Stars Slip Past Greyhounds, Take Sole Possession of First Place

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — In a battle that lived up to its billing, South Arkansas College edged ASU Mid-South in a back-and-forth conference showdown, escaping The Dog House with a narrow three-point victory to claim sole possession of first place in the league standings.

The Greyhounds and Shooting Stars traded momentum throughout the night, with neither side willing to back down. South Arkansas College jumped out to a quick start, setting the early tempo before ASU Mid-South settled in and answered punch for punch. The opening half saw both teams exchanging runs, but it was the Shooting Stars who carried a slim one-point advantage into intermission.

ASU Mid-South came out of the locker room firing in the second half, surging ahead and building a double-digit lead behind strong interior play and ball movement. However, South Arkansas College refused to fade. The Shooting Stars chipped away possession by possession, capitalizing on miscues and keeping themselves within striking distance.

Trailing by three with just under two minutes remaining, South Arkansas College took advantage of sloppy play from the Greyhounds to flip the momentum late. ASU Mid-South found itself down three with under eight seconds to play, but a potential game-tying three-pointer from Jaxson Yancy rattled out, sealing the hard-fought win for the visitors.

South Arkansas College was led by a stellar performance from Jaden Williams, who poured in 29 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Xavier Meyers added 23 points and came up big down the stretch, while Carlos Escalera finished with 12 points and Treylan Neal chipped in 11.

ASU Mid-South had several strong individual efforts in the loss. Philip Tillman led the Greyhounds with a near triple-double, scoring 24 points to go along with 10 rebounds and seven assists. Dejavius Johnson finished with 14 points, while Michael Stewart and Hugh McFarland each added 12. McFarland also dished out nine assists. Randy Emerson provided a spark off the bench with 11 points, and Taylor Conner narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds.

Following the game, the ASU Mid-South coaching staff pointed to consistency as the difference. "We weren't totally focused for all 40 minutes, and against a team like that, you can't afford lapses. They don't give up on plays, and they forced a few turnovers because of that," head coach Cody Hastings said. "We have to learn from this, and stop beating ourselves, especially late in close games. I have to be better. There's no excuse to pick up a technical at that time, even if I feel it wasn't warranted. In a close game, I just need to keep my mouth shut. For that, there's no one to blame but me."

The loss drops the Greyhounds to 12-6 overall and 5-2 in conference play.

ASU Mid-South will look to bounce back on Saturday, January 17, when they host National Park College. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.