LITTLE ROCK – Playing unquestionably its most complete game of the season, Little Rock raced out to a commanding first half lead on Norfolk State and never looked back, defeating the Spartans 70-55 at the Jack Stephens Center.
The win gives the Trojans their first victory of the season, improving to 1-5, while the Spartans remain winless at 0-6.
Little Rock epitomized the definition of balanced scoring as 10 different Trojans scored in the victory, none of which finished in double figures as the team shot 52.0 percent from the floor.
Andre Jones,
Jaizec Lottie,
Camron Reedus and
Wadly Mompremier each finished with nine points on the afternoon, followed by eight points each from
Cameron Corcoran and
Ben Marcus.
Damir Hadzic finished with six points in his first career start with
Oliver Black and
Anthony Black each finishing with five points each.
The Trojan defense had one of its best efforts of the season as well, holding Norfolk State to just 29.5 percent from the floor while forcing 21 Spartan turnovers, resulting in 28 Trojan points. Little Rock once again dominated in the paint, outscoring Norfolk State 38-10 inside.
Both teams finished with 36 rebounds but again, nobody finished in double figures.
Oliver Black led Little Rock with seven boards, including a team-high four offensive, with Mompremier adding five rebounds to complement his four blocks, tying a career-high.
Lottie dished out five assists and grabbed five rebounds for Little Rock with Jones finishing with four boards and three assists.
As a team, Little Rock shot 66.7 percent from the free throw line, making 12 of its 18 attempts. Both Corcoran and Reedus were a perfect 4-for-4 with Lottie hitting two of three.
With both teams seeking their first win of the 2017-18 season, each took chances early as the Trojans and Spartans combined for two ties and three lead changes through the first eight minutes. With Norfolk State leading 9-8, Marcus drove baseline for a pretty lay-up, putting the Trojans on top 10-9.
That seemed to be the spark Little Rock had been looking for through the first five games as the offense finally began to click. Over the next 10 minutes, eight different Trojans scored as Little Rock outscored Norfolk State 29-8, building a 20-point lead at 37-17.
Fittingly, Marcus closed the first half with another layup as the Trojans took a 39-23 lead into the intermission. Little Rock shot 59.3 percent in the first 20 minutes, hitting 16 of their 27 shots, while going 5-of-8 from three-point range. The Trojans forced 14 Spartan turnovers in the first half, holding a 22-5 edge in points off turnovers.
The surge continued into the second half as both the Little Rock defense flexed its muscle. The Spartans made their first field goal of the half, cutting the lead to 39-26, and then went nearly 12 minutes before their next field goal, missing 17-straight in the process.
Offensively, Little Rock continued to take advantage of its new-found scoring touch, building its lead to as many as 26 at 56-30 with 8:10 remaining. Norfolk State slowly chipped into the lead over the final two minutes, but the Trojan win was never in doubt as Little Rock took the 70-55 decision.
Norfolk State's Steven Whitley led all scorers with 16 points as he was the only player to finish in double figures.
Little Rock continues its four game home stand with a pair of key contests against regional foes, beginning Wednesday, November 29 when the Trojans welcome rival Central Arkansas south of the river. Tip off against the Bears is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center.
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