LITTLE ROCK – Andre Jones registered a career-high 15 points, but costly turnovers and three-point struggles once again proved costly for Little Rock as the Trojans dropped a 78-64 decision to Robert Morris Saturday afternoon at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans fall to 0-5 on the season while the Colonials won their third-straight, improving to 3-3.
Jones' 15 points came on 7-of-13 shooting with three rebounds and two assists, leading the Trojan offensive charge that shot 51.1 percent from the floor. But woes continued from beyond the arc as Little Rock hit just five of its 14 three-point attempts while going 11-for-20 from the free throw line.
Jones was the only Trojan to finish in double figures, nearly joined by
Jaizec Lottie's nine points to complement his two assists.
Ben Marcus and
Damir Hadzic each finished with eight points for Little Rock with
Oliver Black adding seven points and a team-high 12 rebounds, his new career-high.
Little Rock once again dominated in the paint, doubling up Robert Morris 36-18, but the Colonials held a 35-15 edge in points off turnovers, aided by a season-high 22 giveaways by the Trojans. 30 of Robert Morris' 53 shots were three-pointers, connecting on 11 of them, while making 10 more free throws.
Aggressive would be a fitting word to describe the start of the tilt between the Trojans and Colonials as the teams combined for 11 fouls in the opening four minutes, seven of which were committed by the Trojans. Those fouls would prove significant in the first 20 minutes as Robert Morris hit 11 of its 15 first half free throws, compared to just 3-of-7 for Little Rock.
The two teams went back-and-forth through the opening 12 minutes, combining for five ties and five lead changes. Tied 17-17 at the eight-minute mark, Robert Morris outscored Little Rock 18-8 over a six-minute span, building a 35-25 lead with just over a minute to play. But back-to-back baseline slams from Marcus gave the Trojans some confidence heading into the break, despite trailing 35-29.
Little Rock used that momentum to trim the deficit to four early, and a three from Lottie a minute later had the Trojans within six at 40-34. But that three-ball seemed to energize the Colonials, who outscored Little Rock 16-2 over the next three and a half minutes, building a 20-point cushion at 56-36.
The Trojans made some runs to trim the deficit to 13 on five different occasions, the last of which came at 74-61 with just under three minutes remaining. But some timely threes and some inopportune turnovers kept the comeback attempt at bay as Little Rock dropped the 78-64 decision to Robert Morris in the team's first-ever meeting.
Robert Morris had four players finish in double figures, led by 17 points from Dachon Burke and 15 each from Koby Thomas and Matty McConnell.
The loss pushes Little Rock to 0-5 on the season, the first time the Trojans have failed to find a win in their first five games since the 1967-68 season. That team went 0-12 to start the year, a mark this year's squad seeks to stay as far away from as possible.
The quest for the first win of the season continues tomorrow as Little Rock hosts Norfolk State to wrap up the 2017 Grand Canyon Classic. The Spartans are also seeking their first win of the year, falling to 75-53 to Robert Morris Friday at the Jack Stephens Center. Opening tip is set for 3 p.m.
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