SUN BELT MEN : Indians out of kilter from get-go
Posted on Sunday, January 20, 2008
JONESBORO — It wasn’t going to be a banner night at Arkansas State.
That might have been clear even before the Indians’ 2006-2007 Sun Belt West Division championship banner was unfurled backward in the rafters of the Convocation Center before their conference game with Troy on Saturday.
Arkansas State junior forward Shawn Morgan, averaging 8. 8 points and 6. 4 rebounds a game, was unavailable after turning his ankle late in Saturday’s shootaround and leading scorer Adrian Banks played with a support on his right ankle thanks to an injury suffered Thursday at Denver.
The short-handed Indians couldn’t contend with Troy’s torrid three-point shooting as the Trojans took an 89-80 Sun Belt victory before 3, 590 at the Convocation Center, sending Arkansas State to its second consecutive loss.
“That kind of hurt us a little bit because it hurt in our depth and it also hurt us on the rebounding end,” said Banks, the Indians senior guard who was healthy enough to tie for the team lead with 18 points. “Shawn always gets those loose balls that we need.... We really missed him a lot out there tonight but we were still in a position where we could have won this game even without him.”
Troy made 12 of 31 threepointers and was 23 of 24 from the free-throw line, with all its attempts coming in the second half. The Trojans were 12 of 12 from the line in the final 1: 30.
“We faced a very hot shooting team tonight and their free-throw shooting was the difference,” Indians Coach Dickey Nutt said.
Convocation Center workers climbed to the rafters to reverse the banner, initially hung with its blank side facing out between two others commemorating the 2004-2005 Women’s NIT quarterfinal team and the 2007 Sun Belt Men’s track and field championship.
But perhaps the banner mishap was a too-literal bad sign of an already bad season. Morgan’s and Banks’ injuries came on the heels of a seasonending injury to reserve Jeremy Thomas suffered in the Indians’ last home game Jan. 10 and a preseason injury that cost them senior forward Abayomi Ajasin for the year.
“Anytime you lose at home it’s disappointing,” said Nutt, who could not say immediately when Morgan might return. “It’s a disappointing feeling but I was really proud of the way our guys fought. We fought very hard.
“ I told our guys sometimes you’ve got to play the hand that’s dealt to you. I’ve tried not to say this in the last couple months but when you’re missing, now, three — three of our finer players — it’s difficult.”
Despite the setbacks, the Indians, who hit 12 of 29 threepointers, overcame a six-point halftime deficit to take a 52-47 lead on Yima Chia-Kur’s jumper with just under 14: 15 to go.
But the Indians couldn’t contain Troy, which went in front to stay when leading scorer Justin Jonus made a three-pointer for a 62-59 lead with under 8 minutes to go.
The Trojans built that to 72-63 with 4: 22 left but Arkansas State cut it to 74-70 when sophomore guard Ryan Wedel got a steal and went all the way for a layup with 3: 08 to go. Troy’s O’Darian Bassett responded with a threepointer, the Trojans’ 13 th, from the top of the key and two free throws that made it 79-70 with 1: 29 to go.
Mike Lance made a threepointer for the Indians but Troy (9-9, 2-5 ) made all its free throws down the stretch to offset another three-pointer by Lance, two free throws by Wedel and a layup by Yima Chia-Kur.
Jonus made four threepointers and scored 30 points for Troy, Bassett had 24 and Trayce Macon made another four threepointers and had 16.
“We felt fortunate to win the game,” Troy Coach Don Maestri said. “Arkansas State was not at full strength. Banks is injured and the kid got hurt today in shootaround... so we weren’t playing their best basketball team. With that, we had to play one of our better games as far as shooting the basketball.”
Wedel added 18 points for Arkansas State, Chia-Kur and Lance had 14 each and Kewain Gant had 12 and nine rebounds.
Troy got 15 points off turnovers in the first half, taking a 40-34 halftime lead, and made of 8 of 20 three-point attempts. The Indians committed seven of their 10 turnovers over the final 8: 25 of the half as the Trojans overcame a 19-18 deficit to take their biggest lead to that point, 40-32.
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