OPENING TIP
Little Rock begins the stretch run of the 2017-18 season with the final two home games of the year at the Jack Stephens Center this weekend. First up is a rematch with Coastal Carolina, tipping Thursday, February 22 at approximately 7:15 p.m. following the conclusion of the women's game. Live video will be available through
Little Rock All-Access with live stats at
TrojanStats.com. Ray Tucker and Kevin Crass will have the call of the Trojans and Chanticleers on The Point 94.1 FM and online at
KKPT.com, getting underway at 7 p.m.
HOME SWEET HOME
Since 2005, Little Rock has called the Jack Stephens Center home, and the venue has helped the Trojans become one of the Sun Belt's toughest home teams. Little Rock has posted a 125-67 record (.651) at the Jack since the doors opened in 2005, including a 69-46 mark (.600) against Sun Belt Conference foes. The Trojans are 5-8 on their home court this season and have posted a winning home record every year at the Jack Stephens Center, winning 10 or more home games on five occasions.Â
LITTLE ROCK REUNION
Thursday's game will mark another reunion between Little Rock head coach
Wes Flanigan and Coastal Carolina head coach Cliff Ellis. Ellis was the head coach at Auburn from 1994-2004, serving as Flanigan's coach for three seasons. During their time together at Auburn, Flanigan and Ellis helped lead the Tigers to a 51-41 (.554) record, including back-to-back NIT appearances in 1995 and 1996.
PREVIEWING THE CHANTICLEERS
2017-18: 12-16 overall, 6-9 Sun Belt Conference (10th), 3-6 on the road
Last Three Games: W vs. South Alabama (72-70); L vs. Troy (66-65); L vs. Appalachian State (81-66)
Head Coach: Cliff Ellis (Florida State, 1968). 11th season at Coastal Carolina (211-155, .577); 43rd season overall (823-494, .625)
COASTAL CAROLINA SCOUTING REPORT
Coastal Carolina enters Thursday's game sitting 10th in the Sun Belt Conference standings at 6-9, coming off a 72-70 victory over South Alabama Saturday. The Chanticleers are averaging 71.9 points per game, eighth in the conference, while allowing 69.7 points per game, sitting sixth overall. Coastal holds one of the Sun Belt's toughest field goal percentage defenses, holding opponents to 40.7 percent from the floor (third) and are one of the league's toughest teams on the boards, ranking second with a +6.2 rebounding margin. However the Chanticleers are the most turnover prone, sitting last in the Sun Belt with a -2.5 turnover margin. Individually, four Chanticleers average over 10 points a game, led by Zac Cuthbertson's 14.8 ppg and Jaylen Shaw's 14.6 ppg average, as Shaw ranks third in the conference in both assists per game (5.7) and steals per game (1.8).
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Coastal Carolina have a very limited history, meeting for just the fifth time Thursday evening. The Chanticleers have won all three meetings to date, earning the series sweep in 2016-17 before besting the Trojans 72-62 on January 27 in Conway, South Carolina.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock rallied from a second half deficit, then held off a late Arkansas State rally to defeat the rival Red Wolves 82-78 in Jonesboro Saturday evening. Three Trojans finished in double figures, led by
Camron Reedus' career-high 22 points with
Ben Marcus tying his career-best with 14 in the victory. The key for the Trojans was free throw shooting as Little Rock made 19 of its 24 free throw attempts, including 16-of-18 in the second half, shooting a season-high 79.2 percent from the line.
TROJANS-CHANTICLEERS, PART ONE
Little Rock and Coastal Carolina battled back-and-forth for 30 minutes in the first meeting between the two teams in South Carolina, but the Chanticleers pulled away over the final 10 minutes to defeat the Trojans 72-62. Little Rock shot just 27.6 percent in the second half, making just eight of 29 attempts. The Trojans did tie a season-high with 12 three-pointers made but were outscored 34-16 in points in the paint.
ON YOUR MARC-US
Junior
Ben Marcus has quietly emerged as a reliable presence in the paint for Little Rock this season. Marcus has made 64 of his 87 shots on the year, a 73.6 percent shooting average, which would lead the Sun Belt if he had met the minimum. The Pine Bluff native currently would shatter the Trojans' single season field goal percentage record of .650, set by Ryan Moss in 1997-98, but needs to take three more shots over the final four-plus games of the season to reach the 90 field goals attempted minimum.
RED HOT REEDUS
Junior
Camron Reedus picked a great time to notch his career-high, finishing with 22 points in helping guide Little Rock to the 82-78 victory over Arkansas State Saturday. Reedus made seven of his 12 shots, including going 4-of-8 from three-point range, while making all four of his free throws in the second half, including two in the final 10 seconds to seal the victory for the Trojans. Reedus is tied for the team lead in scoring at 7.3 points per game and has scored in double figures seven times, ranking second on the team behind the eight performances from
Cameron Corcoran.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH
While his teammates captured the spotlight in the win over Arkansas State, freshman
Jaizec Lottie contributed one of the most well-rounded performances for Little Rock this season. Lottie finished with eight points, a career-high seven rebounds, six assists and three steals at the point guard position as he continues to lead the team in assists (81) and steals (29) while ranking second in points (176) and minutes (663).
HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING
The four true freshmen on Little Rock's 2017-18 roster haven't had much time to settle into things as all four have been relied upon early and often. The quartet of
Cameron Corcoran,
Jaizec Lottie,
Damir Hadzic and
Kris Bankston have combined to play 1,777 minutes already this season, accounting for 32.5% of the Trojans' 5,475 minutes. The freshmen foursome enter the game Saturday averaging 20.3 points per game, which is 31.6% of Little Rock's offensive production, as Lottie, Hadzic and Bankston have combined for 48 starts this season.
BALANCING THE ROCK
If nothing else, Little Rock's offensive production defines the word "balanced" in 2017-18. Seven different Trojans are averaging between 7.3 and 6.0 points per game, led by
Anthony Black,
Ryan Pippins and
Camron Reedus each leading the team with a 7.3 ppg average.
Cameron Corcoran ranks fourth on the team at 6.8 ppg, followed by
Jaizec Lottie (6.5 ppg),
Oliver Black (6.4 ppg) and
Ben Marcus (6.0 ppg).Â
STREAK BUSTERS
The Trojans' win at Arkansas State snapped a number of streaks that Little Rock is more than happy to see fall by the wayside. The win snapped the Trojans' eight game overall losing streak, a 14-game road losing streak and a three-game skid to the rival Red Wolves. Additionally, it marked the first time this year Little Rock emerged triumphant in a game in which there was a one possession differential in the final minute, improving its record in those games to 1-6 in 2017-18, while also marking the first time the Trojans won a game in which it trailed at any point since the 71-65 victory over Central Arkansas on November 29, 2017.
SHOOTING 70
Like in golf, the score of 70 has become a benchmark for Little Rock this season, just on a different spectrum. The Trojans are 6-2 this season in games where they reach 70 points, including a 5-1 mark in games where Little Rock reaches 71 points. Â On the flip side, Little Rock is 0-19 in games in which the Trojans score 69 points or fewer.
HOME FINALE
Little Rock takes to the court at the Jack Stephens Center for the final time in 2017-18 Saturday afternoon, taking on Appalachian State at 5 p.m. The game against the Mountaineers marks Little Rock's Senior Day for 2017-18 as seniors
Brandon Brady,
Wadly Mompremier and
Khari Harley will be recognized prior to tip.
#LittleRocksTeam
