Trojans to Take on Billikens in WNIT First Round

GM 33 >> Little Rock (20-12) vs. Saint Louis (24-7)
WNIT First Round
Thursday, March 17 • 7 p.m. (CST)
St. Louis, Mo. • Chaifetz Arena
Live Stats | Live Video (free) | Game Notes
Radio: Trey Schaap (PxP) on 920 AM
 
LITTLE ROCK – The Little Rock women's basketball team has advanced to the national postseason for the eighth time in the last nine years, earning a date with Saint Louis in the WNIT on Thursday. The Trojans and Billikens will tip off at 7 p.m. at Chaifetz Arena with both teams' seasons on the line.
 
TIP OFF

• Little Rock finished the regular season as the second-place team in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans started the year 5-11 before winning 15 consecutive games through the semifinals of the league tournament.
• The Trojans fell in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship Game on Saturday, dropping a 61-60 contest to Troy and just missing out on their second consecutive tournament title.
• Little Rock has made the national postseason for eight of the last nine years including four NCAA Tournament berths and four WNIT berths.
• Senior forward Shanity James, a St. Louis native, leads Little Rock in scoring and rebounding with 15.3 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game. She ranks in the top five all-time in Trojan history in free throws made and attempted, rebounds, scoring, blocks and starts.
• Little Rock's defense is among the best in the nation, as the team allows teams to score just 55.0 points per game.
• Saint Louis and Little Rock have only met once, a Billikens victory in 2003. Little Rock last played in the WNIT in 2013, a loss at Pacific.

 
ABOUT THE TROJANS
After a slow start to the season that saw the team go 2-7 in non-league play against a difficult schedule, the Trojans had a tremendous conference season. Little Rock went 16-4 in Sun Belt play, earning the league's No. 2 seed. Little Rock had a 15-game winning streak that lasted until Saturday, and the team earned an at-large bid to the WNIT on Monday night.
 
The Trojans are riding a huge wave of success over the last decade, making the national postseason for eight of the last nine seasons including four NCAA Tournament berths and four WNIT trips. Little Rock was picked third in the Sun Belt's preseason coaches poll but surpassed that with a second-place finish this year.
                   
ABOUT SAINT LOUIS

• The Billikens, based in St. Louis, Mo., hold a 24-7 record on the season and finished 13-3 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. The Billikens lost in the A-10 Tournament's semifinals to Duquesne after finishing the regular season tied for the conference championship with George Washington.
• Thursday's game will be the Billikens' second postseason game ever and its first in 13 years. Saint Louis set school records this year for total wins, conference wins, winning percentage and road wins.
• Little Rock and Saint Louis had three common opponents this year: Tulane, Memphis and Tulsa. Both teams lost to Tulane and both defeated Memphis. Saint Louis, however, defeated Tulsa while the Golden Hurricane beat the Trojans.
• Sophomore point guard Jackie Kemph was selected A-10 co-Player of the Year, while Lisa Stone was named A-10 Coach of the Year.
• Kemph is the Billikens' top player and ranks 29th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ration, fifth in the nation in total assists and in assists per game. She is also in the top 100 in the country in points, free throws made and attempts and free throw percentage.
• As a team, Saint Louis is 13th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio and assists per game and in the top 100 in assists, turnovers, field goal percentage, free throws made and other categories.
• Lisa Stone is now in her fourth year leading the Billikens. She has a 566-297 record lifetime.

 
THE SERIES AGAINST SAINT LOUIS
Little Rock and Saint Louis have met just once all-time, a 72-67 Billikens victory back in 2003 during Joe Foley's first season as the Trojans' head coach.
 
A WIN AGAINST SAINT LOUIS WOULD…
…be Little Rock's first ever victory in the WNIT…be Little Rock's first ever victory over Saint Louis...be Joe Foley's 721st career win…advance the Trojans to the WNIT's second round at either Iowa or Ball State.
 
LITTLE ROCK VS. THE ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE
The Trojans are relatively inexperienced when it comes to playing members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Little Rock has a 2-1 record lifetime against current A10 members, as the team has defeated Davidson and UMass in its only meeting with those teams. The Trojans' lone loss to an A10 team is a 2003 loss at Saint Louis.
 
LITTLE ROCK IN THE WNIT
Little Rock has played in the WNIT three times, most recently in 2013. The Trojans have an 0-3 record all-time in the WNIT, losing in 2013 at Pacific, in 2009 vs. Murray State and 2008 at Southern Miss.
 
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM MEMBERS
Following a loss in the Sun Belt Tournament championship game, Little Rock had two players on the roster named to the league's All-Tournament Team. Senior Shanity James and junior Sharde' Collins made the cut, with James averaging 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game during the tournament and Collins putting up 15.0 points per game. Collins earned All-Tournament Team honors for the first time in her career while James got the honor for the second time. She was named to the league's All-Tournament Team as a freshman in 2013.
 
JAMES UP TO SECOND IN MADE FREE THROWS
In the category of career made free throws, Shanity James moved up from sixth all-time in Little Rock history to third in a single game against South Alabama on Feb. 6. On Saturday against Troy, James moved up even farther in the Trojans' career record book. She now has 307 career made free throws, tied with Chastity Reed for second all-time. She is just 28 made free throws shy of tying Taylor Gault's school record of 335. James is already the program's career leader in attempted free throws with 577.
 
HOMECOMING FOR JAMES
Senior Shanity James may have thought she was playing her final career game on Saturday, but she will get at least one more shot at a victory on Thursday at Saint Louis. The only four-year senior on the Trojans' roster, James will actually be playing Thursday's game in her hometown. James attended Miller Career Academy for high school, a school less than two miles from Chaifetz Arena.
 
ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Shanity James recorded her seventh double-double of the season on Saturday against Troy, scoring 15 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. The senior now has a double-double in five games since February 11 after having just two all season before that.
 
HOLDING TEAMS UNDER 60
A trend has emerged in 17 of the Trojans' 20 victories this year: in those 17 victories, the Trojans' opponent has scored under 60 points. Little Rock is now 17-1 in games this year where the opponent has fewer than 60 points. When the Trojans' opponent scores 60 or more, Little Rock drops to 3-11.
 
DEFENSIVE JUGGERNAUTS
As Little Rock continues to hold teams to incredibly low offensive outputs, the team's national ranking in scoring defense continues to improve. As of Thursday morning, the Trojans' 55.0 points per game allowed ranks 25th in the entire nation. The Trojans have not allowed an opponent to score more than 50 points in eight of the last 12 games.
 
JAMES ON A SCORING ROLL
Shanity James has been on an amazing scoring streak to end her Trojan career, reaching at least 10 points in 15 of the last 16 games and leading the Trojans in scoring in all but five of those games. James has topped the Trojans in scoring in 15 games this year. She has scored in double figures in 27 total games out of 30 she has played in.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Little Rock forward Shanity James was named First Team All-Sun Belt and guard Alexius Dawn was named Second Team All-Sun Belt at season's end. James' postseason honor is the first of her career, while Dawn is making her second appearance on the All-Sun Belt Second Team. She was also named to the Sun Belt All-Tournament Team last year. James is Little Rock's leading scorer and rebounder while Dawn is first on the team in made 3-pointers and steals and second in assists.
 
CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
vs. Troy:

• Shanity James tied for second all-time in program history in made free throws.

Coming soon:

• Keanna Keys is six rebounds shy of 300.
• Sharde' Collins is 10 made field goals away from 200 in her career and four field goal attempts from 500.

UP NEXT
With a win against Saint Louis, the Trojans will advance to the second round of the WNIT to take on either Iowa or Ball State. That game will be played some time next week on the road.