Box Score LITTLE ROCK – UALR (6-9, 1-4 SBC) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 64-46 win over Appalachian State (4-9, 1-3 SBC) Saturday night at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans played arguably their best all-around game of the season, shooting 51 percent from the floor while holding Appalachian State to just 30.2 percent.
“I'm really proud of our guys' effort, resiliency and togetherness,” head coach Steve Shields said after the win. “I thought we had great energy and bench enthusiasm from start to finish. Coming out of the Bradley game, I think we've had good practices, I think we've gotten better defensively and rebounding the basketball. We've got a long way to go. We are by no means where we need to be, but I think we've made progress in those areas.”
Roger Woods led three UALR players in double figures, totaling 15 points and six rebounds. Just two of Woods' points came before halftime, but the 6-5 forward got into a rhythm after intermission making 6 of 7 shots while totaling 13 points.
As a team, UALR outrebounded Appalachian State 34-30 and outscored the Mountaineers 34-13 in the paint. Frank Eaves was the only Appalachian State player in double figures, finishing with 15 points.
After a strong first half that saw UALR take a 12-point lead into the locker room, the first 10 minutes of the second half saw the teams mostly trade baskets, with the Mountaineers trimming the margin to nine on two occasions.
With UALR leading 48-39, a 9-0 run fueled by six points from Woods allowed the Trojans to open up a 57-39 lead after an offensive rebounds and put-back by Woods with 6:22 left in regulation. Appalachian State's offense was unable to respond, never pulling closer than 16 the rest of the way.
Gus Leeper came off the bench to provide one of the top performances of his career. Leeper matched his career best with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with five rebounds. James White scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds in 20 minutes of work. DeVonte Smith got the start at point guard and responded with four points and a team-high four assists.
An early 10-0 run allowed UALR to build a 16-7 lead on Appalachian State a little over six minutes into the game. White accounted for eight of UALR's first 16 points as the Trojans made 8 of their first 12 shots from the floor, including six straight at one point.
UALR's margin widened to double digits on a layup by Smith that made it 24-13 with a little under 10 minutes remaining in the half. The lead grew to 15 when Leeper's fifth bucket of the half made it 36-21 at the 2:50 mark. A triple by the Mountaineers' Eaves made it a 36-24 UALR lead at halftime.
In all UALR made 15 of 26 shots (57.7 percent) over the first 20 minutes for its best-shooting first half of the 2014-15 season. The Trojans' defense limited Appalachian State to just 9-of-29 shooting in the first half. UALR also owned a 17-15 rebounding edge to start.
UALR will have next Thursday off before traveling to ULM on Saturday. The Trojans and Warhawks will tip off at 4 p.m.
