Final:A-State 70, Little Rock 62

[Seminole Indian]

https://www.ncaa.com/game/basketball-men/d1/2018/01/20/arkansas-st-ualr

[Seminole Indian]

LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock raced out to a commanding 13-point lead early in the first half on rival Arkansas State, but hot shooting from beyond the arc the rival Red Wolves led the way to a 70-62 victory at the Jack Stephens Center Saturday afternoon.

Little Rock falls to 5-15 on the season and 2-5 in Sun Belt Conference play as Arkansas State improves to 7-13 overall and 2-5 in league play.

Three-point shooting was the story of the afternoon as Arkansas State knocked down 13-of-23 three-point shots, compared to just 5-of 17 for Little Rock. After opening the game hitting its first four threes, the Trojans made just one of its final 13 attempts, including going 0-for-7 in the second half.

Both teams finished with 24 made field goals and nine made free throws with the Trojans taking 55 shots (43.6 percent) compared to 47 attempts for the Red Wolves (51.1 percent). Little Rock again held the advantage in the paint, outscoring ASU 30-16, but a 44-25 bench advantage for the Red Wolves helped turn the tide.

Three players finished in double figures, led by 11 points each for Andre Jones Camron Reedus and 10 points for Oliver Black. Jones just missed a double-double, finishing with nine rebounds while Black's seven boards ranked second for Little Rock.

Jaizec Lottie finished with nine points and a team-high three assists with Ryan Pippins and Ben Marcus adding seven points each, complemented by six rebounds for Marcus. Cameron Corcoran posted five points with Kris Bankston finishing with four rebounds and three blocks.

The first 11 minutes of the game couldn't have played out much better for Little Rock as the Trojans raced out to a 19-6 lead, going 4-for-4 from three-point range and forcing five Red Wolf turnovers. Reedus scored eight during that streak with Pippins adding six more, building the commanding 13-point lead.

But the three-point streak that the Trojans found the first 11 minutes was then discovered by Arkansas State, who closed the final 11 minutes on a 29-9 run over Little Rock. The Red Wolves shot 8-of-13 from three-point range as the Trojans went nearly eight minutes without a field goal, leading to a 35-28 halftime lead for the visitors.

Similar to the first half, Little Rock came out the aggressor in the second half, using a 10-2 run to pull back in front at 38-37 four minutes in, led by back-to-back backdoor layups from Lottie. But Arkansas State's three-point shooting touch continued as the Red Wolves extended their lead to nine at 63-54 with 5:41 remaining.

Little Rock was able to chip away at the deficit, pulling to within five at 66-61 with just under two minutes remaining, but that was as close as the Trojans could get, dropping the 70-62 to their in-state rivals.

With the loss, Little Rock falls to 33-53 all-time against Arkansas State as the Red Wolves pick up their third-straight win in the series. Grantham Gillard led ASU with 23 points and 11 rebounds off the bench with Ty Cockfield and Deven Simms adding 11.

Little Rock now heads to the Carolinas for a pair of crucial Sun Belt Conference road games, beginning Thursday in Boone, North Carolina. The Trojans face Appalachian State at 6:30 p.m. CT.

http://lrtrojans.com/news/2018/1/20/mens-basketball-trojans-fall-victim-to-red-wolves-hot-shooting-70-62.aspx

[GolfNut57]

LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock raced out to a commanding 13-point lead early in the first half on rival Arkansas State, but hot shooting from beyond the arc the rival Red Wolves led the way to a 70-62 victory at the Jack Stephens Center Saturday afternoon.

Little Rock falls to 5-15 on the season and 2-5 in Sun Belt Conference play as Arkansas State improves to 7-13 overall and 2-5 in league play.

Three-point shooting was the story of the afternoon as Arkansas State knocked down 13-of-23 three-point shots, compared to just 5-of 17 for Little Rock. After opening the game hitting its first four threes, the Trojans made just one of its final 13 attempts, including going 0-for-7 in the second half.

Both teams finished with 24 made field goals and nine made free throws with the Trojans taking 55 shots (43.6 percent) compared to 47 attempts for the Red Wolves (51.1 percent). Little Rock again held the advantage in the paint, outscoring ASU 30-16, but a 44-25 bench advantage for the Red Wolves helped turn the tide.

Three players finished in double figures, led by 11 points each for Andre Jones Camron Reedus and 10 points for Oliver Black. Jones just missed a double-double, finishing with nine rebounds while Black's seven boards ranked second for Little Rock.

Jaizec Lottie finished with nine points and a team-high three assists with Ryan Pippins and Ben Marcus adding seven points each, complemented by six rebounds for Marcus. Cameron Corcoran posted five points with Kris Bankston finishing with four rebounds and three blocks.

The first 11 minutes of the game couldn't have played out much better for Little Rock as the Trojans raced out to a 19-6 lead, going 4-for-4 from three-point range and forcing five Red Wolf turnovers. Reedus scored eight during that streak with Pippins adding six more, building the commanding 13-point lead.

But the three-point streak that the Trojans found the first 11 minutes was then discovered by Arkansas State, who closed the final 11 minutes on a 29-9 run over Little Rock. The Red Wolves shot 8-of-13 from three-point range as the Trojans went nearly eight minutes without a field goal, leading to a 35-28 halftime lead for the visitors.

Similar to the first half, Little Rock came out the aggressor in the second half, using a 10-2 run to pull back in front at 38-37 four minutes in, led by back-to-back backdoor layups from Lottie. But Arkansas State's three-point shooting touch continued as the Red Wolves extended their lead to nine at 63-54 with 5:41 remaining.

Little Rock was able to chip away at the deficit, pulling to within five at 66-61 with just under two minutes remaining, but that was as close as the Trojans could get, dropping the 70-62 to their in-state rivals.

With the loss, Little Rock falls to 33-53 all-time against Arkansas State as the Red Wolves pick up their third-straight win in the series. Grantham Gillard led ASU with 23 points and 11 rebounds off the bench with Ty Cockfield and Deven Simms adding 11.

Little Rock now heads to the Carolinas for a pair of crucial Sun Belt Conference road games, beginning Thursday in Boone, North Carolina. The Trojans face Appalachian State at 6:30 p.m. CT.

http://lrtrojans.com/news/2018/1/20/mens-basketball-trojans-fall-victim-to-red-wolves-hot-shooting-70-62.aspx

Hah! that was some commanding lead.....

[DeltaBoy]

Tough loss for the Trojans.