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Pruitt plays role of hometown hero for ASUTODD TRAUBARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE JONESBORO -- Arkansas State was playing at home Thursday night. Matt Pruitt was playing in his back yard. In just his third start, Pruitt, a former Jonesboro High School standout, delivered the kind of hard-nosed performance that forced Coach Dickey Nutt to put him in the lineup as the Indians (7-6 overall, 1-0 in the Sun Belt) opened Sun Belt Conference play with a 69-55 victory over Florida International (2-8, 0-1). The game started late -- the 9 p.m. tipoff was originally set for a television broadcast that was canceled by icy weather -- and so did the Indians, who trailed by nine points three times in the first half. "We were about like the weather out there, weren't we?" Nutt said, referring to the Indians' frigid, first-half shooting performance. But before 4,431 fans at the Convocation Center, Pruitt, a sophomore guard, provided a spark. He scored just seven points, but pulled down two key rebounds and contributed a three-pointer to the Indians' late game-winning run. "I'm just happy to get the opportunity to play here," Pruitt said. "Coach Nutt gave me a chance and I'm just working hard and trying to do whatever he asks me and not necessarily always score. I need to be out there scrapping and getting the big guys the ball." After blowing a 36-28 lead in the second half and falling behind by as much as 44-38, ASU fought back. A defensive rebound by Pruitt led to a jumper from the high post by Jason Jennings that tied it at 48. Pruitt's rebound and outlet pass to Nick Rivers resulted in a layup that made it 54-50 ASU. On the next possession, Pruitt hit a three-pointer from the left wing to make it 57-50 with 1:58 left, and the Indians took control, hitting 8 of 8 free throws and outscoring the Golden Panthers 12-5 the rest of the way. "His specialty and the reason he's in that lineup is he plays harder than anybody else," Nutt said of Pruitt. "All of our guys are playing hard, they're just not playing hard enough. And that's the thing that we preach day in and day out is you've got to be a better basketball player and it starts by playing harder. Matt plays hard." Pruitt's contribution was part of a group effort that closed out the game and gave Nutt hope for better things as ASU travels to Louisiana Tech for its second conference game tonight. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, La. Kim Adams' tip-in gave ASU a 52-50 lead with 3:39 left and his dunk on a 3-on-1 break made it 59-50. Center Jason Jennings finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, scoring 12 points and delivering 3 of his 6 blocked shots in the final 6:37. Rivers added eight points in the final 7:15 and finished with 15. "I think in the second half the run was presented by a total team effort," Nutt said. Tonight, ASU faces last year's Sun Belt Player of the Year in Bulldogs' guard Gerrod Henderson and Freshman of the Year Antonio Meeking at forward. Nutt has never beaten Louisiana Tech Coach Keith Richard in five tries. "We've got have more than seven offensive rebounds," Nutt said, noting ASU's offensive total Thursday. "We've got to get more people to the glass. But a lot of that sometimes, we're playing a lot of small people on the perimeter and those are the guys that are deserving those minutes." Heading into the conference opener, Nutt had said he would continue to tinker with ASU's lineup until he got the combination and effort he was looking for. Thus Pruitt, usually brought in as a defensive substitute assigned to the opponent's hottest shooter, slid into the starting five. "He plays with a huge heart," Nutt said. "He's not the most talented guy in the world, but I'm going to tell you, I'll take Matt any day. He's done a super job for us." Pruitt averaged 21.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists a game his senior year at Jonesboro and impressed the recruiters at Mississippi. His freshman year with the Rebels he played in 33 games, with a single-game high of eight points. Since transferring, Pruitt has evolved into a defensive specialist for ASU, which helps offset the loss of offensive threats Chico Fletcher and C.J. Pepper, who used up their eligibility last season. For Pruitt, a guy once considered a scoring threat, the transition has been easy. "Maybe this year I'm not looked upon to score as much and that makes my job easier," Pruitt said. "I can go out there and just put my heart and soul into other things and help this team win."
Halftime -- ASU 27, Florida International 25 Technical fouls -- None Officials -- Sam Croft, Larry Ware, Steve Pyatt Attendance -- 4,431.
This article was published on Saturday, December 30, 2000RETURN to main page
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