A 13-7 run over the final four minutes Tuesday night at The Fort propelled the No. 5 LSUA men’s basketball team to a 77-72 win over visiting Texas A&M-Texarkana.
“We are better than that,” coach Dimario Jackson said after his Generals improved to 15-1 overall, 12-1 in the Red River Athletic Conference. “We are tougher than that, more disciplined than that. I’ll take the win, you’re always happy to win, but that’s not our brand. Missed free throws, missed layups, we didn’t execute like we needed to. We got timely stops. I’ll give our guys credit for being able to finish.”
Trailing 65-64 to the Eagles (10-5, 9-4 RRAC), a three-point play from Kashie Natt opened the run and put LSUA ahead 67-65. Isaiah Howard and TJ James knocked down four free throws. A layup from Howard, followed by two shots at the charity stripe from Natt, made it 75-67 LSUA.
After two Jordan Decuir free throws, the Eagles made a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the game’s final points to close the margin to two.
Natt finished with 26 points. He went 9-for-14 from the field, including a 4-for-8 mark from beyond the arc. He was a perfect 4-for-4 at the line. Jakemin Abney recorded 16 points and EJ McQuillan tallied 10 points.
LSUA’s lead hovered around five for the majority of the second half. A three-point play from the Eagles with 7:21 left in regulation cut the Generals’ lead to two, 60-58. A pair of free throws on the Eagles’ next possession brought the game even, 60-60.
LSUA is back in action on Saturday afternoon in Hawkins, Texas for an RRAC doubleheader at Jarvis Christian.
LSUA WOMEN 75, A&M-TEXARKANA 54: Amani Gray’s double-double led the Generals (12-5, 9-4 RRAC), as she scored 10 and snagged 10 rebounds.
She sank 10-for-17 from the field and 4-for-4 at the free throw line. It is the second time Gray has recorded a double-double this season. The first also came against Texas A&M-Texarkana (3-14, 3-10 RRAC) on November 16 when she recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Dannah Martin-Hartwick added 17 points, while Alexis Dyer (13), and Benedetta Peracchi (10) also notched double digits. Jewel Jones finished with six assists, while Peracchi dished out five. Dyer finished with a season-high four steals.
The Generals (12-5, 9-4 RRAC) shot 43.9 percent from the floor and also posted a 38-26 rebounding margin over the Eagles.
LSUA shot over 50 percent in both the second and fourth quarters.