Caleb Fields collected 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds as visiting Arkansas State took control early in the second half and earned a 75-63 victory over struggling Louisville on Wednesday.
After losing by at least 14 points in their previous three games against power conference opponents, the Red Wolves (4-7) earned their first win against a Power 5 foe since a 14-point victory over Mississippi State on Dec. 17, 2014.
Louisville (4-6) took its third straight loss and heard boos toward the latter portions of its latest setback. The Cardinals took the loss after announcing Koron Davis was no longer with the program.
Fields made 6 of 8 shots and also hit six of the Red Wolves’ 10 successful free throws. Freddy Hicks added 16 and Izaiyah Nelson contributed 15 for Arkansas State, which shot 51.4 percent in the second half and 44.1 percent overall.
The Red Wolves survived missing 20 of 25 3-point tries by scoring 48 points in the paint.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield finished with 20 points and 11 boards for the Cardinals. Mike James and Tre White had 10 apiece for the Cardinals, who shot 36.1 percent, hit 2 of 15 from 3-point range and were outscored 46-32 after halftime.
Arkansas State opened an 18-11 lead on a 3-pointer by Dyondre Dominquez, but the Red Wolves did not score for the final 3 1/2 minutes of the half. Louisville took a 31-29 lead into the locker room after a basket by James with 28 seconds left — following eight consecutive missed shots by the Cardinals.
Early in the second half, the Red Wolves made six straight shots and ripped off nine consecutive points in 62 seconds for a 49-38 on a 3-pointer by Hicks with 14:47 left.
Arkansas State opened a 60-46 lead on a basket by Dominguez with 8:54 remaining, prompting Louisville to use a 30-second timeout. The Red Wolves hiked their lead to 67-51 when Derrian Ford hit a 3-pointer with 5:56 left, and they effectively sealed it when Taryn Todd’s basket made it 71-53 with 4:18 to go.
