Brandon Reed scored 18 points as a late rally helped Arkansas State defeat New Orleans, 63-56, in Sun Belt Conference play on Thursday night.
Trailing 29-23 at the half, Arkansas State (16-12, 11-6) tied the score at 40-40 off a Jeremy Thomas dunk with 10:59 left to play. The Privateers (8-20, 3-14) continued to hang tough with the Wolves and took a 56-54 lead when Charles Carmouche dunked one in with 2:40 left to play. Those would be the Privateers' last points as the Wolves ended the game on a 7-0 run.
Martavius Adams hit 6 of 8 from the field and finished with 13 points for the Wolves.
Quincy Diggs led the Privateers with 12 points. Carl Blair had a game-high five assists and 11 points.
With 429 points, Reed became the most productive freshman in school history. Jerry Rook (1961-62) previously held the record with 416 points.
