A-State Rugby Picks Up Win Over Lindenwood-Belleville
JONESBORO – Isaiah Poku scored two tries in the first half to help lead sixth-ranked Arkansas State University past Lindenwood-Belleville, 41-12, Saturday afternoon in men’s college rugby. With the victory, the Red Wolves now stand at 3-0 overall.
Both teams got off to a slow start before Poku, a 6-0, 195-pound sophomore flanker from Daytona Beach, Fla., sprinted down the sideline for the score 16 minutes in. Shortly after, Poku extended A-State’s lead from 5-0 to 10-0 with another quick score.
“Lindenwood-Belleville is a high-energy team and it took a little while for us to ride the wave to their physicality and get into a rhythm,” said third-year head coach Blake White. “In the second half, we found it. Our guys have been working hard and it showed.”
Junior lock Asa Carter, a 6-3, 220-pound junior from Tulsa, Okla., gave the Red Wolves a little cushion with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the opening period with his successful try and a conversion by sophomore Beefy Nyamarebvu, from Zimbabwe. A-State took a 17-0 halftime lead.
Nine minutes into the final half, 5-11, 185-pound center James Luecke of Houston, Texas, broke away for the long run before handing the ball off to 5-11, 205-pound senior Stewart Fay of Boston, Mass., who finished the play with another try. The Red Wolves led, 22-0.
Lindenwood-Belleville, now 6-3 overall, got on the board at the 22:48 mark with the try to cut into Arkansas State’s lead, 22-5. Additional Red Wolf scores moved the margin to 41-5, before a Lynx player scored off a pass. The conversion closed out the final score in favor of A-State, 41-12.
The Red Wolves will host the University of Arkansas, Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. in Centennial Bank Stadium.
“We will need a big crowd to come out and support the team and be a part of this experience,” said White. “I want to thank Terry Mohajir (Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics) and the administration for allowing us to hold this match in the football stadium. It should be exciting.”
