When Texas State basketball’s all-time leading scorer Nijal Pearson signed his first professional basketball contract last year, he never figured the start of his pro hoops journey would take him thousands of miles away — to two European countries within the span of months — in the middle of a pandemic.

Ty Cockfield scored a game-high 39 points and Tristin Walley added 12 points off the bench for Arkansas State (10-15, 4-8). Texas State equaled its season-high of 28 free throws made in the game as Shead made 9-11 and Sule hit 8-9. Following a turnover by Arkansas State, Peacock made one of his two free throws to tie the score 40-40 at halftime. Arkansas State cut the lead in half when Cockfield hit a pair of free throws and nailed a three-point shot from the left wing. Shead closed out the game with two more free throws to make the final score 84-74.