LITTLE ROCK – In a rematch of last season's Sun Belt Tournament title game, Little Rock returns home to host ULM in both teams' conference opener on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. from the Jack Stephens Center.
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Kids 12 and under eat free at Saturday's game. The Junior Trojans Club Kids Zone will be open on Derek Fisher Court and a tech gloves will be given away while supplies last.
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The Trojans return home after falling in consecutive road games to close the non-conference season.
Lis Shoshi,
Oliver Black and
Andre Jones all either set or matched career highs in scoring in Little Rock's loss at Florida. Shoshi averaged 12.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 2.0 steals in the Trojans' final two non-conference games.
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ULM is 6-7 overall on the season, most recently beating Grambling 81-45 on Wednesday night. The Warhawks' roster features five newcomers after losing five lettermen and four starters last season.
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Four Warhawks average double-figures in scoring, led by Sam McDaniel's 12.6 points per game.
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Little Rock leads 16-13 in the all-time series with ULM. The Trojans won two of three meetings last season, including a one-point win at the Jack Stephens Center and a 20-point victory in the Sun Belt Tournament title game.
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Jalen Jackson averaged 10.3 points per game against the Warhawks last season, including 11 in the Sun Belt Tournament.
Marcus Johnson Jr. averaged 9.7 points against ULM in three meetings last year and scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the conference tournament.
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Keith Richard is in his seventh season as head coach.
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Quick Hits
• Little Rock's win percentage of .813 (39-9) since the start of the 2015-16 season ranks 10th nationally.
• Little Rock's road win percentage of .700 (14-6) over the same span ranks ninth nationally.
• Little Rock has won 21 of its last 22 games at the Jack Stephens Center.
• Little Rock is coming off defeats at Oral Roberts and Florida, the program's first set of consecutive losses since March 2015.
• Little Rock is the only team in the nation to have started the same five seniors in every game this season.
• All five Little Rock starters are averaging double figures in scoring – the 1989-90 season was the last time Little Rock had five double-figure scorers in a season.
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Marcus Johnson Jr. recently set a Jack Stephens Center record with nine made 3s in Little Rock's win over Central Arkansas on Dec. 10.
• Last season, Little Rock won 30 games, Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament championships and beat Purdue in the NCAA Tournament first round.
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2017 Sun Belt Championships
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 school's 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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