Comeback in Final Minutes Gives Greyhounds Win Over Pioneers

The Greyhounds used a 12-0 run in the final 2:15 to overcome a five-point deficit and take a 95-88 victory over the North Arkansas College Pioneers Thursday night at Pioneer Pavilion.

Down 88-83, the Greyhounds got a traditional three-point play from Christian Thompson who had battled for the offensive rebound to start the comeback and narrow the North Arkansas lead to two points. The following possession saw Thompson get the ball under the basket and a Pioneer wrap both arms around him to keep him from getting off a shot, and he made 1-of-2 free throws before getting the ball back from the intentional foul. Then on the ensuing possession, Tim Johnson found J.T. Smith in the corner for a three-pointer to give the Greyhounds their first lead, 90-88, with 1:35 remaining.

Then after a Pioneer turnover, J.T. Smith got loose on a baseline drive and hit a layup to give the Greyhounds a 92-88 lead with 44.5 seconds left. North Arkansas turned it over again as Jailen Anderson tied up Trent Lippoldt in the paint, and the possession arrow favored the Greyhounds with 32.3 seconds left, forcing the Pioneers to foul. After the Greyhounds missed two free throws, they came up with an offensive rebound and were fouled again, this time hitting 1-of-2 free throws for a 93-88 lead. North Arkansas then missed a three-pointer and fouled again, and Jailen Anderson hit both free throws for the final count.

The comeback followed a high-scoring first half that saw ASU Mid-South down by 10 after giving up 55 points as the Pioneers came out hot, hitting eight three-pointers in the first frame. But in the second half, the Greyhounds buckled down on defense to allow just 33 points while J.T. Smith, Sam Smith and Christian Thompson combined for 39 of the Greyhounds' 50 points.

Both teams shot the ball well as ASU Mid-South hit for 49.3% from the field and 42.3% from the arc while North Arkansas hit 52.3% from the field and 43.3% from the three-point line. But the Greyhounds held a 42-29 advantage on the boards while racking up 15 offensive rebounds and limiting the Pioneers to just 5.

J.T. Smith headlined with a career-high 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting including 5-of-6 from the three-point line to go with 9 rebounds and a team-high 6 assists, and Sam Smith extended his school-record for double-doubles with his 13th of the season, scoring 20 points and pulling down a game-high 14 boards. Christian Thompson finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds, while Jeremiah Jones chipped in 9 points to go with a game-high 4 steals.

The Greyhounds now turn their attention to the final game of the regular season against UA Cossatot Saturday at 4:00pm before heading to the NJCAA Region 2 Tournament held at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. With a win Saturday, ASU Mid-South can clinch the second seed and a first-round tournament bye, but could fall to the fourth seed with a loss and play against the fifth seed on Tuesday.

Standings current as of 2/17/2022