SAN DIEGO – Little Rock spotted San Diego 11 points at the beginning of each half, then struggled again to find its shooting touch as the Trojans dropped a 66-52 decision to the Toreros at Jenny Craig Pavilion Monday evening.
With the loss, Little Rock falls to 0-4 on the season with San Diego improving to 4-0 as the Trojans' first four opponents now boast a combined record of 11-2 this season.
Little Rock once again struggled to make shots from the field, finishing the game hitting just 19 of its 51 shots (37.3 percent) while making just three of its 17 three-point attempts. The Trojans were also victim to 17 turnovers, leading to 23 San Diego points.
Cameron Corcoran led Little Rock with a career-high 10 points, hitting all three of the Trojans' three-pointers on the night, followed by 10 from
Damir Hadzic, who went 4-of-5 from the foul line and finished with four rebounds.
Andre Jones finished with seven points and a team-best 10 rebound while
Oliver Black added eight points and a block.
Wadly Mompremier also registered seven points for the Trojans, complemented by five rebounds.
Still seeking its first win of the 2017-18 season, Little Rock fell victim to another slow start as San Diego scored the first 11 points of the game, holding the Trojans scoreless for nearly seven minutes. Neither the Trojans or Toreros were able to find their shooting touch in the opening 20 minutes as the Trojans managed just 19 first half points off 6-of-21 shooting, including going 0-for-9 from three-point range.
Despite is shooting woes, Little Rock found itself within seven in the waning seconds of the opening half, looking to cut deeper into the San Diego lead. But a steal and lay-up in the closing seconds pushed the Torero lead to nine at 28-19.
Unfortunately for Little Rock, the start of the second half mirrored the first as San Diego reeled off 11-straight points, building a 39-19 lead in the opening four minutes. After some defensive stops, the three-point drought finally ended under the 16-minute mark as Corcoran hit back-to-back threes, helping the Trojans pull to within 12 at 41-29.
San Diego led by as many as 20, but Little Rock showed its fight, holding the Toreros without a basket for over eight minutes and using a 10-3 run to pull to within 12 at 58-46. But the 11-0 San Diego runs at the beginning of each half proved too great an obstacle, handing the Trojans the 66-52 loss.
The Toreros were led by 20 points from Isaiah Pineiro and 12 from Isaiah Wright as the Toreros shot 66.7 percent in the second half to put the game away.
Little Rock closes out its three-game road swing and hopes some home cooking will help them capture the first win of the season. The Trojans begin a four-game home stand this weekend, continuing the Grand Canyon Classic by hosting Robert Morris Friday, November 25. Tip time against the Colonials is at 3 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center.
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