LITTLE ROCK – Sun Belt Conference play begins on Thursday night for the Little Rock women's basketball team as the Trojans are set to take on Louisiana at the Jack Stephens Center at 6:30 p.m.
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Little Rock enters Sun Belt action with a 6-6 record overall, but the Trojans were picked to finish second in the conference in the league's preseason coaches poll. Little Rock earned more first-place votes than any other team in the league before the year in that poll.
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The Trojans are currently tied for fourth in the conference standings with a .500 winning percentage. Ahead of Little Rock is UT Arlington (7-3), Louisiana (6-3) and Troy (6-4). Little Rock has faced an incredibly difficult schedule though in non-conference play, squaring off against three ranked teams, four teams from major conferences and playing five teams currently in the top 50 in RPI including three in the top 10.
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Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference members
Kaitlyn Pratt and
Sharde' Collins are leading Little Rock on offense, averaging 12.7 and 11.5 points per game, respectively. Sophomore
Ronjanae DeGray (7.0 ppg) and freshman
Kyra Collier (6.9 ppg) are also contributing offensively.
On defense, though, Little Rock shines bright. The Trojans are allowing just 54.8 points per game and only 47.7 points per game in victories. Little Rock is ranked 28th in the nation in scoring defense and is the best defending team in the Sun Belt.
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The Trojans have been a very strong team in the league over the last decade, winning the conference tournament four times and reaching the league championship game seven times. Little Rock has won at least 12 games in conference play in each of the last 10 years.
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Coming to the Jack Stephens Center on Thursday to test Little Rock will be Louisiana, a team that sits second in the league with a non-conference record of 6-3. Louisiana was the last Sun Belt opponent to beat the Trojans at the Jack Stephens Center. After the Cajuns defeated the Trojans in January 2016, Little Rock won 10 straight league games to close out the year.
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Of the Cajuns' six wins, two came against non-Division I opponents. Three of Louisiana's four wins were against in-state foes. The Cajuns are a high-powered offense, averaging 72.2 points per game. But on defense, they allow 71.1 points per game. Jaylyn Gordon is the top scorer in the Sun Belt with 19.2 points per game, and Simone Fields is sixth in the conference in rebounding with 7.9 boards per game.
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TIP OFF
- Little Rock was defeated in its final non-conference game by LSU before the Christmas break, losing 69-49 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge.
- The Trojans played four major-conference opponents in non-league play this season, losing all four of those games. Despite losing, Little Rock was competitive in all four games through halftime.
- Little Rock ended non-league play at 6-6. The Trojans were picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference this season but earned the most first-place votes of any team in the league.
- Kyra Collier has been playing very well for the Trojans lately, scoring in double figures in five of the last seven games.
- Little Rock's defense is in the top 30 in the nation, allowing just 54 points per game.
- The Trojans have a 19-9 edge in the all-time series against the Cajuns and have won two straight in the series including last year's Sun Belt semifinal game.
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The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy. New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from your our ticket office. For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites -
Men's Championship –
Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the @FunBelt on social media -
@SunBelt.
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