Trojans Rally, Fall Short at Louisiana

LAFAYETTE, La. – Little Rock (12-9, 3-5 SBC) held Louisiana (14-7, 4-4 SBC) without a field goal for the final 4:39 and used a late 18-2 run to trim the deficit, but couldn't complete the comeback in an 88-82 loss at the Cajundome on Saturday.
 
Little Rock shot 53 percent in the second half and 50 percent on the night, but Louisiana shot 61.7 percent in the contest and made 10 of 20 from 3-point range.
 
The Trojans outscored the Cajuns 57-43 after halftime. However, the 45-25 deficit it faced at the break proved too much to overcome.
 
Marcus Johnson Jr. led Little Rock with 26 points. Maurius Hill added 17 and Deondre Burns scored 12 to give the Trojans three players in double figures.
 
Trailing by as many as 24 points, Little Rock stormed back to cut the margin to six twice in the final 40 seconds.
 
Little Rock made its push in the final five minutes. Down 80-58 with 4:39 to play, five free throws between Burns and Johnson sparked the run. Stetson Billings then scored inside, and his steal led to Johnson's 3-pointer to make it 80-68 with 1:37 to play. Following a Trojans timeout, another Louisiana turnover led to two more free throws from Johnson to cut the deficit to 10.
 
Little Rock turned the Cajuns over again on the next possession, but Andre Jones' corner 3 was off the mark and Louisiana was able to draw a foul and convert both free throws on the following trip.
 
Jones' 3-pointer on Little Rock's next possession was good. Then, Burns came up with yet another steal for the Trojans as the Cajuns tried to push the ball up the floor. He found Johnson in transition, who connected on a step-back 3-pointer to pull Little Rock within 82-76 with 30 seconds remaining.
 
The Cajuns inbounded the ball cleanly after the timeout. Johnathan Stove was fouled and made both free throws to put Louisiana back up eight. After Little Rock came up empty on the other end, Justin Miller was fouled and made both free throws.
 
Jones made his second 3-pointer of the night with 13 seconds to play to make it 86-79. Following two more Louisiana free throws, Johnson added one more 3-pointer in the closing seconds to bring the game to its 88-82 final score.
 
Frank Bartley led six Louisiana players in double figures. The Cajuns outrebounded the Trojans 32-19.
 
Trailing by 20, used a 9-0 run late in the first half to pull within 11. Hill started the run with a two made free throws at the 6:10 mark. A transition bucket by Burns was followed by a steal and finish by Hill. A 3-pointer by Burns with 4:42 to play in the half capped Little Rock's run and pulled the Trojans within 31-20.
 
But Louisiana answered with a 3 from Bartley that was followed by a jumper from Miller. The Cajuns closed the half by scoring 14 of the final 19 points to take a 20-point lead, 45-25, into the locker room.
 
Little Rock is back in action on Monday night at ULM. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
 
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