UALR beats Arkansas State 59-52 to advance to Sun Belt semifinals

BURN THE HORSE
    UALR absorbed run after run and held off Arkansas State 59-52 in the Sun Belt Conference quarterfinals at Summit Arena in Hot Springs on Sunday.
59       52
   The Trojans advance to the Sun Belt Conference semifinals for the third time in four years where they’ll meet Middle Tennessee at 8:30 p.m. Monday night at Summit Arena. UALR was ousted in the semifinals by Western Kentucky in 2008 and South Alabama in 2009.
   The Trojans also improve to 17-16 on the season and have clinched at least a .500 record for the season while ending Arkansas State’s season for the second time under Coach Steve Shields, who made it a point to clap and thank the fans after the game.
Sun Belt Conference
UALR's Alex Garcia-Mendoza dives
on the floor after a loose ball from
Arkansas State's Donald Boone on Sunday.
   Solomon Bozeman had 15 points to lead UALR, while Alex Garcia-Mendoza had 13. The Trojans battled foul trouble all night and got 34 amazing minutes from Montrell Thornton on the inside. Thornton had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocked shots and outplayed Arkansas State’s Martavius Adams, a second team all-Sun Belt selection.
   “I am really proud of our guys,” UALR Coach Steve Shields said. “We got in some foul problems in the first half. We were struggling to defend. We were fortunate to have a one-point lead at the half. I thought our guys came back at the half after we talked about having more poise.”
   The score was tied three times, but UALR never trailed.
Sun Belt Conference
Montrell Thornton grabs
a rebound
   “We just stayed together as a team and we trusted each other,” said Garcia-Mendoza. “We knew as a team we needed stops and that’s what we did. We knew we needed to pressure the ball and box out and play as a team.”
   UALR shot 44 percent while holding Arkansas State, the No. 1 seed from the West Division, to 33 percent.
   The key play of the game though occurred off the court.
   In the first half, Arkansas State Coach John Brady was upset that UALR Assistant Coach Joe Kleine was yelling at officials and demanded that he sit down.
   Then in the second half, Brady became upset when Kleine was standing up with 1:30 left and UALR clinging to a 48-46 lead. Brady was well out of the coaches box when official Frank Raposo tried to escort him back. He continued to scream at official Tom Eades, who warned Brady and then gave him a technical foul.
   Bozeman hit both free throws and then D’Andre Williams knifed through the Arkansas State defense for a layup as the Trojans increased their lead to 52-46. Arkansas State only got as close as five points the remainder of the game.
   “I shouldn’t have done that. It was uncalled for. I apologized to our fans and our athletic director. I was wrong and it cost us a couple of points and shut us down momentum wise,” Brady said.