Izaiyah Nelson delivered one of the most impressive performances in Arkansas State men’s basketball history, recording a career-high 30 points and 21 rebounds to lead the Red Wolves to an 83-64 victory over Louisiana on Wednesday night at the Cajundome.
With the win, Arkansas State (21-9, 12-5 SBC) set a new program record for regular-season wins and matched the second-most victories in school history. Nelson’s effort – his sixth double-double of the season and fourth in a row – marked just the second 30-point, 20-rebound performance by a Division-I player this season. He is also the 10th player since 2004-05 to record 30-plus points, 10-plus offensive rebounds, and 10-plus defensive rebounds in a game.
The Red Wolves dominated on the boards, outrebounding Louisiana (11-19, 8-9) 56-24, including 21 offensive rebounds. Arkansas State shot 36.8 percent (21-57) from the field and excelled at the free-throw line, hitting 83.3 percent (35-42). Defensively, the Red Wolves held Louisiana to just 34.4 percent shooting (22-64) and limited them to 15.8 percent (3-19) from beyond the arc.
Nelson was supported by three other players in double figures: Taryn Todd with 12 points, Dyondre Dominguez with 11, and Joseph Pinion with 10. Derrian Ford added eight points and matched his season-high with eight rebounds off the bench.
The Red Wolves started strong, opening the game with an 8-0 run and never losing the lead. Louisiana briefly cut the deficit to three, but Arkansas State responded by pushing the lead to nine. After Mostapha El Moutaoutakkil scored four of his team-high 15 points, Nelson led an 11-0 run to close the first half with Arkansas State ahead 44-28.
In the second half, the Red Wolves extended their lead to as much as 28 points, but Louisiana mounted a 19-4 run to trim the deficit to 12 with 3:37 left. Nelson then scored seven of Arkansas State’s final nine points to seal the win.
Next Up:
Arkansas State will wrap up the regular season on Friday at ULM, with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, and the radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network and the Red Wolves mobile app.
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