Little Rock Rolls Past Appalachian State, 81-55

LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock limited Appalachian State to 29.2 percent shooting from the floor and cruised to an 81-55 win to improve to 15-1 overall and 5-0 in Sun Belt Conference play. The win matches the program's best-ever start to SBC play and established a new record for consecutive victories at the Jack Stephens Center (9).
 
"We knew Appalachian State had really good players and we knew they were playing their best basketball over the last week," head coach Chris Beard said after the win. "This team had our full attention. I thought we played a good game defensively with the exception of fouling too much … Offensively, I thought we were sharing the ball and shot a good percentage in the first half."
 
Appalachian State (3-13, 1-4 SBC) made just five shots after halftime. Frank Eaves, who entered the night as the Sun Belt's leading scorer, was held to 11 points on 1-of-8 shooting.
 
Little Rock finished the game shooting 43.5 percent and put three players in double figures. Jalen Jackson and Roger Woods scored 16 points each to lead the Trojans. Woods scored his 16 on nine shots and grabbed seven rebounds, while Jackson added seven rebounds, two steals and a block in 22 minutes.
 
Lis Shoshi matched his season high with 12 points, all in the first half. Shoshi added six rebounds and a blocked shot.
 
After Little Rock's strong run to end the first half gave the team a 14-point lead heading into halftime, the Trojans allowed the margin to get as close as 12 before using a 13-2 run to build a 23-point lead. Little Rock's margin grew as wide as 25 on Woods' basket with 8:31 to play that made it 69-46.
 
The Trojans committed just six turnovers in the win, giving the team nine games this season with fewer than 10 miscues. Appalachian State turned it over 19 times on the night, leading to a 27-3 edge for the Trojans in points off turnovers.
 
Led by its three double-figure scorers, Little Rock led 34-10 in points in the paint. The Trojans led by a 49-20 margin in bench scoring.
 
The margin stayed within single digits for the majority of the opening half. Leading by three with 5:31 to play in the half, Little Rock used a 15-4 run to build a 42-26 lead.
 
A 3-point play by Woods jump-started the run, and a 3-pointer by Jermaine Ruttley followed shortly thereafter. Shoshi added eight points of his own over the next 90 seconds, including a 3-pointer with 2:12 to play in the half that put the Trojans up 16.
 
Little Rock returns to action on Monday when it travels to Arkansas State. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.