Battle of Undefeated Trojans Set for Thursday Night

Game 18: Little Rock (11-6, 5-0) vs. Troy (12-4, 5-0)
Date	Thursday, January 19
Time	6:30 p.m.
Location	Little Rock, Ark.
Stadium	Jack Stephens Center
Stats	Statbroadcast
Audio	KARN The Sports Animal
Video	Little Rock All-Access
Notes	Little Rock | Troy

LITTLE ROCK – If a battle of undefeated opponents at the Jack Stephens Center wasn't enough, the Little Rock women's basketball team's game against Troy on Thursday night will also be a rematch of the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Championship Game.

Meeting for the first time since the league title game last season, Little Rock and Troy will square off in The Natural State on Thursday with both teams entering the game at 5-0 in league play. The winner on Thursday night will earn sole possession of first place in the conference standings one-third of the way through league play.
 
Little Rock is coming off a big win in its annual rivalry game against Arkansas State, defeating the Red Wolves by 14 points on Saturday. The Trojans had four double-figure scorers in the game and reached 70 points on offense for the fourth straight game.
 
In that contest, Sharde' Collins scored a career-high 24 points despite being in foul trouble in the second half. And even though she did not score much in the game, freshman Kyra Collier still managed an impressive double-double with 11 rebounds and 10 assists – the first Trojan double-double without points since Ka'Nesheia Cobbins had one in early 2015.
 
Little Rock's RPI is at No. 60 in the nation as of Wednesday morning, the second-highest RPI in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans' scoring defense remains in the top 30 in the country, and Little Rock's five-game winning streak is tied for the 26th-longest active winning streak in the nation.
 
Besides first-place in the Sun Belt Conference, Thursday's game against Troy could also see some measure of revenge for Little Rock after last year's Sun Belt Championship game. In that contest, Troy scored a basket with 30 seconds left, and Little Rock's final attempt at a game-winner was blocked away. That result, a 61-60 Troy victory, sent Troy to the NCAA Tournament and Little Rock to the Postseason WNIT.
 
Troy will bring its usual high-powered offense to the Jack Stephens Center on Thursday. The team is currently averaging 86.2 points per game. Troy is also second in the league in free-throw and field-goal percentage and third in the league in 3-point percentage.
 
Jayla Hills is Trojan's leading scorer at 11.6 points per game, and Caitlyn Ramirez is second at 10.9 points per game. Ramirez is fourth in the Sun Belt in rebounds per game with 8.6, and Amanda Mendoza is fifth in the conference in assists with 3.2 per game.
 
TIP OFF

• Through five league games, Little Rock remains undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play. The only other undefeated team in the Sun Belt is Troy.
• The Trojans are coming off a win over in-state rival Arkansas State on Saturday, a game that saw Sharde' Collins score a career-high 24 points.
• Little Rock has the second-best scoring offense in conference only games this season, averaging 73.2 points per league game this year.
• Kyra Collier recorded a double-double with assists and rebounds on Saturday against Arkansas State.
• Little Rock has the second-highest RPI in the Sun Belt this season, ranking 58 in the nation as of Tuesday morning.
• The Trojans have won 12 consecutive conference games at the Jack Stephens Center and are 8-0 lifetime against Troy at the Jack Stephens Center.
• In the series against Troy last year, both teams won their home games in the regular season, and Troy defeated Little Rock in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship.

           
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.