Trojans Fight Back for 79-75 Win Over ULM

LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock (10-4, 1-0 SBC) topped ULM (6-8, 0-1 SBC) 79-75 in overtime to earn its first Sun Belt Conference victory of the season on Saturday at the Jack Stephens Center. Little Rock earned the win after trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half.
 
Little Rock outscored ULM 12-8 in the extra period, making 3 of 5 shots from the floor while limiting ULM to 2 of 9 in overtime.
 
The Trojans finished the game shooting 50 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the foul line. ULM shot 40.7 percent from the field while making 11 of 29 (.379) from deep.
 
Led by Oliver Black's 10 rebounds, Little Rock finished the game with a 41-26 advantage on the glass. The Trojans' outrebounded ULM 15-9 on the offensive end and finished with a 16-6 edge in second-chance scoring.
 
Black's 10 boards were in addition to 10 points, giving him the first double-double of his Little Rock career. Maurius Hill led the Trojans with 18 points in 32 minutes. Jalen Jackson scored 14 points while Lis Shoshi (11) gave Little Rock four players in double figures.
 
The win was Little Rock's first overtime victory inside the JSC since Nov. 2014.
 
ULM had a chance to take the lead on regulation's final possession. Tied at 67 with nine seconds remaining, Nick Coppola's shot in the paint was off the mark. ULM was unable to corral the rebound and get a good look at a put-back before time expired.
 
Little Rock stormed back from 10 down with 10:49 to play. Marcus Johnson Jr.'s basket with 4:12 to play gave Little Rock its first lead of the half at 61-60. After ULM came up empty on the other end, Kemy Osse followed with a transition 3 to push the lead to four.
 
ULM tied the game at 67 on Sam McDaniel's 3-pointer with 39 seconds to play.
 
Travis Munnings led the Warhawks with 22 points and 11 rebounds. McDaniel scored 20 points on 7-of-21 shooting.
 
The Trojans entered the break facing a 31-29 deficit. Black led Little Rock with eight points and seven rebounds over the first 20 minutes.
 
Little Rock led by as many as eight, but a 9-0 run late in the half gave ULM a 23-21 lead with just over three minutes until halftime. ULM made eight of its final 10 shots to close the half.
 
Little Rock is back in action Monday night when it hosts Louisiana at the Jack Stephens Center. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. and be televised on ESPN2.
 
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.