Box Score LITTLE ROCK, Ark. ? The UALR men's basketball team (8-1, 1-0) opened Sun Belt Conference play with a 75-67 win over Florida International (3-5, 0-1) Saturday night at the Jack Stephens Center. Senior Terrance Akins was one of four Trojans to score in double figures on the night, leading UALR to its sixth-straight win with a season-high 15 points.
On a night in which UALR was outrebounded for the first time all season (36-to-27) and allowed its opponent to shoot 51.2 percent from the floor, the Trojans pulled out a win by earning 44 trips to the foul line and forcing FIU into 24 turnovers.
“I'm really proud of our guys for their resiliency and ability to stay together after a poor start to the game and a poor start to the second half,” said UALR head coach Steve Shields. “You have to give FIU credit, they got us on the glass and were efficient on the offensive end.
“I just didn't feel like we were as crisp as we have been defensively.”
The Trojans led by 11 points at the break after closing out the first half on an 18-3 run, while going 17-of-19 from the foul line over the first 20 minutes. But UALR went the first 5:54 of the second half without a field goal, helping FIU slowly work its way back into the game after opening the half on an 11-2 run.
Down 53-47 with 9:12 to go in the second half, FIU turned to seven-foot center Russell Hicks, who scored the team's next seven points to tie the game at 54-all with 6:11 remaining. Hicks finished with a game-high 18 points, off a perfect 7-of-7 effort from the field, and added seven rebounds in 20 minutes.
The 54-all score marked the first tie since the game was knotted at 24-all with 6:09 to go in the first half. Despite rallying to tie the game, the Golden Panthers were never able to reclaim the lead.
Leading 57-56 after a pair of free throws by FIU's Alex Galindo, the Trojans embarked on a 12-2 run to take the lead for good. Sophomore Steven Moore found junior Brandon Patterson in the corner for a three pointer to spark the run. Patterson returned the favor by assisting on a three pointer by Moore to give UALR a 63-56 lead.
Sophomore Mike Smith added a pair of buckets in the paint, before junior John Fowler capped off the 12-2 run with a steal and a fastbreak dunk to put UALR ahead 69-58 with 1:31 to go.
FIU managed to cut its deficit down to five points, 72-67, thanks to missed free throws and a Trojan turnover, but Akins hit both of his foul shots with 26 seconds remaining to seal the win.
UALR's depth played a major role in the win, as UALR's bench outscored the FIU reserves 44-to-13 in the win. Smith tallied 13 points, off 4-of-5 shooting, and a game-high eight rebounds, while freshman Derrick Bails went 4-of-4 from the field on his way to 12 points. Patterson rounded out UALR's double-figure scorers with 10 points and a team-high five assists.
FIU shot 55.6 percent from the field in the first half, and opened the game with eight unanswered points. UALR went 1-of-7 from the field at the onset of the game, and made only one field goal over the first 8:18.
“You can't start halves the way we started both halves tonight,” said Shields. “We have got to find a way to be more efficient and bring more energy at the start.”
Hicks carried the torch for FIU early on, capitalizing on his size advantage to score seven of the team's first 12 points. He picked up his second foul with 9:23 on the clock, and came out of the game at the 8:54 mark for the remainder of the half ? with FIU leading 20-16.
Down 24-20 after a putback by Galindo, the Trojans closed out the first half on an 18-3 run to take an 11-point lead into the break. Akins tied the game at 24-all with a pair of free throws, and gave UALR its first lead, 26-24, by scoring on a drive to the basket. The Trojans closed out the first half with nine unanswered points, seven of which came compliments of Smith.
UALR returns to action Tuesday night when it welcomes Pepperdine to the Jack Stephens Center at 7 p.m.
