Trojans Overcome 16-Point Deficit To Topple Bears

[Seminole Indian]

LITTLE ROCK – Trailing by 16 late in the first half, Little Rock found its confidence and resiliency, rallying past rival Central Arkansas to notch a 71-65 victory at the Jack Stephens Center. The win pushes the Trojans' record to 2-5 on the year with the Bears falling to 4-4.

The effort was led by Little Rock native Andre Jones, who registered a career-high 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting while hitting six of his seven free throw attempts. Jones registered 10-straight points for Little Rock, a span which covered the closing minute of the first half and the first three minutes of the second, helping spark the rally.

Jaizec Lottie also notched a career-high on the night, finishing with 13 points with three rebounds and three assists. Oliver Black nearly notched the first double-double of the season for Little Rock, finishing with a career-high 16 rebounds to complement his nine points.

Cameron Corcoran finished with seven for the Trojans with Anthony Black adding six, coming off a pair of critical three-pointers during the comeback.

After a sluggish first half, Little Rock shots 51.7 percent in the second half to finish at 40 percent for the game while defensively holding UCA to just 37.5 percent from the floor and just six threes on 20 attempts.

Coming into the game averaging 85 points a game, Little Rock held Central Arkansas 20 points under its season average while the Bears shot nearly 10 percentage points lower in both field goal and three point percentage.

Another major key for the Trojans in the victory was ball possession. After committing nine turnovers in the first half, Little Rock had just one in the second, outscoring the Bears 48-31.

Little Rock again showed its strength inside, holding a 32-26 edge in points in the paint and registered 19 points off Bear turnovers.

Both teams struggled to find their shooting touch early as the Trojans and Bears each hit just four of their first 16 shots. With Little Rock leading 8-7, Central Arkansas strung together a 12-0 run over a three and a half minute span, building an 11-point lead at 19-8.

The Trojans were able to cut the lead to five at 23-18, thanks in part to a no-look pass from Lottie to Jones for three, but Central Arkansas started to find its touch from beyond the arc. The Bears used an 11-0 run to build its largest lead of the half at 34-18 with a minute to play.

Little Rock offset the charge by scoring the last five points, cutting the halftime deficit to 34-23. The Trojans shot just 29 percent in the opening 20 minutes, hitting nine of their 31 shots, with Central Arkansas connecting on 11 of their 31 attempts (35.5 percent).

Jones served as the spark plug for an energetic start to the second half for Little Rock, scoring 10-straight points and spearheading a 20-8 run over the first eight minutes. A three from Lottie at the 13:13 mark gave the Trojans the 44-42 lead, its first since the 12:17 mark of the opening half, as Little Rock hit eight of its first 13 shots to open the second stanza to begin the charge.

The Trojans then continued to hold the Bears in check, extending its lead to as many as nine with less than four minutes to play, then held off a late UCA rally to earn the victory. The win was the 11th-straight for Little Rock in the series.

Central Arkansas' Jordan Howard, who ranked third in the nation in scoring at over 26 points per game, was held to just 12 on 4-of-15 shooting, including going 2-of-9 from three-point range. He was one of four Bears to finish in double figures while adding three assists.

The victory complements a rousing win by the Trojan women over Oklahoma Tuesday night, giving Little Rock two statement wins during Rise Up For The Rock week. The week concludes Saturday, December 2, when the Trojans host Oral Roberts at the Jack Stephens Center to wrap up the home stand. Opening tip against the Golden Eagles is set for 3 p.m.

http://lrtrojans.com/news/2017/11/29/mens-basketball-trojans-overcome-16-point-deficit-to-topple-bears.aspx

[holeinthewall]

Wes isn't going to be there long losing to OBU and struggling with UCA.

[GolfNut57]

Wes isn't going to be there long losing to OBU and struggling with UCA.

Sudden flashback to the old UALR  ads where the Trojan mascot drove around saying "we got Sidney". lol