Next Game: Freed Hardeman University 12/28/2019 | 4:00 PM 107.9 KFIN

MONROE, La. (12/18/19) – Transfer guard Melo Eggleston scored a game-high 14 points off the bench to help spark the A-State men's basketball team to a 62-59 at ULM in Sun Belt Conference action Saturday afternoon.

Eggleston, appearing in just his second game due to NCAA transfer rules, led A-State (9-3, 2-0 SBC) with 14 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes of action. Canberk Kus and Jerry Johnson added 13 points each while J.J. Matthews added nine points. Tyree White led ULM (4-6, 0-2 SBC) with 14 points.

"Nothing is easy in this league," said A-State head coach Mike Balado . "I'm really proud of my guys because we were down at halftime, but I told them to stay with the process. We did a much better job defensively in the second half. We let them shoot 55 percent in the first half and they shot 39 percent in the second half which was a key to the game. Melo came in today and had a great game for us today and I couldn't be happier for him after what happened last game. Everyone that gave minutes today, played well."

ULM shot 55 percent (12-22) in the first half, but the Red Wolves clamped down defensively and held the Warhawks to 39 percent in the second half. A-State finished the afternoon shooting 44 percent (23-52) from the field and 31 percent (4-13) from 3-point range. The Red Wolves knocked down 80 percent (12-15) at the charity stripe compared to 71 percent (15-21) for ULM. The Warhawks finished 47 percent (21-45) from the field and 20 percent (2-10) beyond the arc.

A-State led by as many as four in the first half, but a 12-2 run by the Warhawks helped ULM take a 29-23 advantage to the break. ULM shot 55 percent (12-22) from the field while limiting the Red Wolves to 39 percent (9-23). A-State forced 10 ULM turnovers in the half, but scored just nine points off turnovers.

The Red Wolves were unable to retake a lead until Eggleston made it 52-51 with 7:34 to play on a layup. A 12-2 run over a 6:05 span saw the Red Wolves lead grow to six, 59-53, with 1:59 to play, but ULM did not go away quietly. The Warhawks cut the lead to two, 59-57, with 1:16 to play, but Kus drained a dagger beyond the arc to give A-State the cushion it needed to put the game away.

Despite being out-rebounded 14-8 in the first half, A-State finished the afternoon with a 29-28 edge on the glass. The Red Wolves had eight offensive rebounds in the second period to lead to six important points. A-State outscored ULM 32-22 in the paint and 18-6 on the fast break while the bench accounted for 34 of the 62 points scored.

A-State closes non-conference play next Saturday, December 28, at 4:00 p.m. against Freed-Hardeman at First National Bank Arena. The Red Wolves then host three consecutive Sun Belt Conference games beginning with a January 2 matchup with UT Arlington.