MEMPHIS, Tenn. – With the game close and time winding down, Little Rock closed the contest on a 9-2 run to pull away from Memphis in a 52-44 victory at Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Sunday afternoon.
Little Rock (5-4) had led by as many as 8 points with four minutes remaining, but Memphis (3-5) made it a 3-point game with 1:41 left on the clock when the Tigers hit a layup, 3-pointer and two free throws.
From there, though,
Monique Townson and
Kaitlyn Pratt combined for 7 consecutive Trojan points to put the game out of the Tigers' reach. Townson started the run with a coast-to-coast layup and free throw, Pratt followed with a layup and Townson ended it with two made free throws with 16 seconds remaining.
Pratt breached the 20-point mark for the second straight game, finishing with a team-high 21.
Kyra Collier scored 11, and
Ronjanae DeGray tied career highs in points (8) and rebounds (9) while leading the team in rebounding. Townson also scored eight points, and
Sharde' Collins tallied 6.
The win was Little Rock's fourth straight overall, fifth straight against Memphis and third straight at Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The team is over .500 for the first time since it was 1-0.
Little Rock's first-half offense was almost completely in the hands of Pratt, who shot 7 of 8 from the field and added two free throws for 16 points. Collier added 5 points and
Ronjanae DeGray scored 4 to give Little Rock a 25-21 lead over the Tigers at the break.
Carolee Dillard, on the Trojans' roster for the first time in three years and one day – a span of 99 games – saw seven minutes of action off the bench and had two rebounds.
The Trojans now have their longest stretch of the season without a game, as they will not play again until December 13. Little Rock will host No. 6 Mississippi State at the Jack Stephens Center on that date with tipoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
