Box Score LITTLE ROCK – The UALR men's basketball team fought hard for a 77-64 season-opening victory over UA Monticello at the Jack Stephens Center on Sunday afternoon.
“I was very pleased with our guys' ability to move the basketball,” head coach Steve Shields said after the game. “I think that was indicative on the stat sheet, when you see eight guys between seven and 12 points.”
UALR spread the love offensively, as no player had more than 12 points eight scored more than seven points. James Reid led the way with his 12 points in his Trojan debut, while James White (11), Mareik Isom (10) and Ben Dillard (10) each came away with at least 10 points.
Roger Woods was the team's top rebounder in his first contest with UALR, grabbing 13 boards. White and Gus Leeper had seven rebounds apiece, while DeVonte Smith topped the team with five assists.
The Trojans were solid from the 3-point line, knocking down 11 of 24 attempts from distance. UALR also had a strong night from the field overall, shooting 44.6 percent. The Trojans dished out 17 assists on the night.
UALR's 11 made 3-pointers were on better than its single-game high for the entire 2013-14 season.
Already with a 9-point lead, the Trojans began the second half on a 7-0 run thanks a field goal from Woods, a Reid 3-pointer and a basket by J.T. Thomas, who was playing in his first game since Nov. 22 of last season. After a UAM basket, Dillard nailed another 3-pointer to extend the Trojans' lead to 17 points at 48-31.
The teams played fairly even basketball for the next 10 minutes, with UALR's lead staying in the range of 12-18 points. But with five minutes to play, a series of UAM 3-pointers had the Boll Weevils back within single digits. UALR's lead had shrunk to 68-59, and the Trojans took a timeout to regroup. A White jumper gave UALR its double-digit lead back briefly, but the Weevils would not go away and came within seven points at the three-minute mark.
Offensive fouls on UAM's next two possessions, though, returned the ball to UALR without giving the Weevils a chance to score. White did all the scoring for the Trojans on their next three possessions, hitting two jumpers and sinking a free-throw to put the game out of reach at 75-63 with 1:35 to play. He also added a block in the final 20 seconds to put a stamp on the win.
Josh Hagins scored eight points for the Trojans thanks to two 3-pointers, and White led the team with three blocks. Isom added two blocks of his own while posting a 2-for-3 performance from downtown.
Jamal Peterson was the top player for UAM, posting 27 points and draining eight 3-pointers. Sharif Hudson also had 17 points.
UALR took control of the game in the very first minute. Offensive rebounds on the Trojans' first two possessions resulted in 3-pointers by Reid and Thomas, and UALR was on its way with a 6-0 lead in the first 45 seconds. The Boll Weevils took a timeout to halt the momentum, but White responded with a monster block on the other end.
After a free throw by Dillard, UAM rattled off seven consecutive points to tie the contest. A dunk from White just before the first media timeout gave the lead back to the Trojans. Neither team scored in the next 90 seconds until Dillard drove hard to the net, picked up a foul and sank the layup. His made free throw extended UALR's lead back to 12-7. UAM got back within one with a four-point play right afterward, but from there the Trojans took over.
Leeper and Hagins got the next five points on a layup and a 3-pointer, respectively, and two more Leeper free throws were immediately followed by a long-range swish from Reid. Mariek Isom followed with a 3-pointer of his own, and UALR had a 10-point lead at 25-15.
UALR's lead slowly crept higher for next five minutes, and the team led 30-18 at the third media timeout. The Weevils got it back to single digits with four minutes remaining in the period, and they eventually got the game as close as 35-29 following a couple baskets from downtown. A Dillard 3-pointer re-extended UALR's lead to seven, though, and the team led 38-29 at the half.
Dillard and Leeper topped the Trojans with seven points apiece at halftime, and Woods had a game-high eight rebounds at the break. The Trojans out-blocked UAM 3-1, and the team also out-rebounded the Weevils 25-19 through 20 minutes.
The Trojans have a one-day break before their next game, as they will take on BYU in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday night. The tip is set for 8:30 p.m. CST.
