Greyhounds Extend Win Streak to Five Behind McFarland’s Near Triple-Double

Helena- West Helena, ARK - The ASU Mid-South Greyhounds pushed their winning streak to five games Thursday night, outlasting Phillips Community College–UA 74–71 in a physical, momentum-shifting contest highlighted by a near triple-double from sophomore guard Hugh McFarland.

The night didn't start in the Greyhounds' favor. PCCUA came out firing, racing to a 13–5 lead and forcing ASU Mid-South into an early timeout to regroup. The stoppage worked, as the Greyhounds responded with an impressive surge of their own, flipping the deficit into a double-digit advantage.

But just when ASU Mid-South appeared to seize control, the Ridge Runners' defense clamped down. PCCUA held the Greyhounds to just one point over the final seven minutes of the first half, clawing all the way back to take a 1-point lead at the break.

The second half featured the same back-and-forth battle, with neither team allowing the other much breathing room. Jaxson Yancy delivered one of the game's biggest moments, drilling a deep three to put ASU Mid-South ahead by seven with just over three minutes remaining.

However, the momentum came to an abrupt halt moments later as play was paused for a 15-minute delay with 2:26 left and the Greyhounds holding a slim 5-point edge. Coming out of the stoppage, PCCUA struck quickly, forcing turnovers and tying the game.

That's when McFarland took over once again. The sophomore guard powered through contact to convert a three-point play with just over a minute remaining, giving ASU Mid-South a narrow advantage. After the Ridge Runners forced another turnover and cut the lead to one, McFarland responded on the defensive end—jumping a passing lane for a huge steal that led to a Phillip Tillman layup, pushing the margin back to three. The Ridge Runners had one final chance to tie the game, but the last second shot was no good. 

PCCUA was led by Jaiden Brunson and Trenton Ford, who each finished with 15 points. Deshaun Russell, Damarea Jones-Evans, and Kaden McKay added eight apiece.

ASU Mid-South was paced by McFarland's outstanding all-around effort—14 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, narrowly missing the Greyhounds' first triple-double of the season. Yancy poured in 18 points to lead all scorers and grabbed eight rebounds. Tillman added 16 points and eight boards, while Taylor Conner contributed 11 points, including key buckets in the final stretch.

"We didn't have our best performance, but I'm just glad our guys were able to make enough plays at the end to hang on," head coach Cody Hastings said. "It shows how good of a team we can be to still pull out a win when we did not play our best, but it also shows where we have to be more engaged on a day-to-day basis. They deserve a lot of credit and they took advantage of us in certain areas. We have to clean those things up moving forward."

With the win, the Greyhounds improve to 8–4 overall and 2–0 in conference play, continuing their best stretch of the season. They head to Pine Bluff on Saturday, December 13, for a conference matchup with Southeast Arkansas. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.