Trojans Hold On for Victory Over Memphis

LITTLE ROCK – Shanity James eclipsed 20 points for the second consecutive game and the Little Rock women's basketball team held on for a 61-53 victory over Memphis at the Jack Stephens Center on Friday night.
 
The Trojans (2-2) trailed by 4 points midway through the third quarter before going on an 11-0 run that catapulted them into a lead they would never lose.
 
The Tigers (3-2) made things interesting by pulling within 4 points with 3:33 left in the game, but a quick jumper by James and a Sharde' Collins 3-pointer brought the Little Rock lead back up to 9 points with 1:10 to play to seal the win.
 
James finished with 22 points, and that number would have been a career high before she scored 24 at Oral Roberts on Tuesday evening. She was 7 of 9 from the field for 14 points in the first half, and both of those misses were desperation 3-pointers as time was expiring on the game or shot clock. She finished 10 of 16 from the field and just missed her second consecutive double-double with a team-high eight rebounds.
 
Dawn also scored in double figures for the second straight game, tallying 12 points thanks to three made 3-pointers and three free throws. Collins was the final Trojan in double-figure scoring, reaching 10 points.
 
Monique Townson and Collins had a team-high five assists apiece, and Dawn added three steals. James also had four assists and the Trojans' only block on the night.
 
The victory was Little Rock's second consecutive this season and fourth consecutive against Memphis dating back to 2012.
 
The start of Friday's game was played at a slightly higher offensive tempo than Little Rock had seen this season. The teams combined for 15 points before the first media timeout, and that total could have been higher if the Trojans had not missed two fast-break layups. James started the night 2 for 2 from the field in the first five minutes, and would make her third straight basket right after the timeout to cut Memphis' lead to just 9-8.
 
But the Tigers continued to shoot well throughout the quarter, going 50 percent from the field and taking a 15-13 lead into the second quarter. A late 3-pointer by Townson – the Trojans' first made in six attempts – made it just a 2-point Memphis lead.
 
Little Rock took over to start the second quarter, and James' inside presence was a huge reason why. The senior made every 2-point shot she took in the first half, finishing the half 7 of 9 from the field.
 
James' offense helped Little Rock take a 28-22 lead – its largest of the game to that point – and things looked very positive for the team with three minutes left in the quarter. But that's when the offense dried up and Memphis came back. The Tigers closed the half with 6 consecutive points and tied things at 28-28.
 
The third quarter slogged along for the early portion as neither team could score until three minutes had gone by. Memphis led by as many as 4 points at 36-32 before Little Rock turned things around with its second huge third-quarter run in as many games.
 
The Trojans went from trailing by 4 points to leading by 7 thanks to an 11-0 run that included a James layup, a Collins jumper, a Dawn 3-pointer, a Keys jumper and two Shepard free throws to make it a 43-36 Little Rock lead. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Memphis' Ariel Hearn to end the quarter stopped the bleeding, but the Trojans still went into the final break with a 4-point lead.
 
Little Rock was coming off Tuesday's game at Oral Roberts that saw it use a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take over and put away the Golden Eagles.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Trojans began raining 3-pointers after a Keys jumper, as Collins and Dawn hit one apiece to give the team a game-best 12-point lead at 51-39 with 6:46 to play. Memphis would score 10 of the next 12 points, though, to bring it down to a 53-49 lead before Little Rock pulled away for good.
 
At the end of the night, the Trojans shot 43.6 percent from the field and forced 19 Memphis turnovers that resulted in 20 Little Rock points.
 
The team used just seven players total with only Collins and Kaitlyn Pratt coming off the bench. Every player saw at least 18 minutes of action.
 
During the game, Collins earned the 50th assist of her career, and James took sole possession of sixth all-time on the Trojan block list with her 73rd.
 
The Trojans are back on the road next week, taking on No. 22 Oklahoma in the Sooners' building. Game time is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday.