LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock overcame an 11-point deficit in the first half, an eight-point hole in the second and a three-point deficit in the first overtime period. But the Trojans' rally came up short in the second overtime period, falling to Oral Roberts 74-66 at the Jack Stephens Center.
The loss came despite
Andre Jones recording a career-high with 25 points on 11-of-21 shooting and just missing a double-double, finishing with nine rebounds.
Anthony Black notched a career-high for Little Rock with 14 points, adding a career-best four steals along with three rebounds and three assists for the Trojans.
Those were the only two players to finish in double figures for Little Rock as
Ben Marcus posted eight points and five rebounds with
Damir Hadzic adding six points, three boards and a pair of assists.
Jaizec Lottie dished out a career-best six assists, finishing with three points and four rebounds.
Little Rock once again struggled from the floor, especially from three point range. The Trojans made 28 of their 77 shots (36.4%) but just four of 30 three-point attempts, a paltry 13.3 percent. Little Rock also had a significant deficit at the foul line, shooting just 11 free throws (six made) compared to 28 for Oral Roberts.
The Trojans forced 24 Golden Eagle turnovers but were only able to score 18 points off those takeaways as Little Rock also held a 38-32 edge in points in the paint, the seventh time in eight games this season the Trojans have won that category.
Shots were hard to come by in the opening 20 minutes for both teams as Little Rock and Oral Roberts combined for just 41 points and 18-of-50 shooting. Turnovers also proved to be one of the major first half storylines as the two combined for 23, including six in a six minute span for Little Rock.
Oral Roberts used a 15-4 run at the midway point of the opening half to build an 11-point lead on the Trojans, leading 19-8 at the 6:43 mark. Little Rock responded with a 7-0 run of its own, led by five from
Anthony Black, pulling to within four at 19-15.
But the cold shooting struck again in the final minutes of the opening half as the two teams combined to make just one of their 13 shots and none over the final 2:44 with the Golden Eagles holding the 23-18 halftime lead.
Similar to Wednesday night against Central Arkansas, Little Rock seemed to find its energy at halftime, using an 8-2 over the opening three minutes to pull ahead of the Golden Eagles at 26-25, its first lead of the game. The Trojans pushed that run to 15-4, led by five from
Anthony Black, building a 33-27 lead at the 15:29 mark.
ORU then found its scoring touch, complemented by a scoring drought by the Trojans. The Golden Eagles fought their way back, leading by as many as eight at 49-41 with 6:15 to play. But an 8-0 run by the Trojans tied the game at 49-49 with 4:14 to go, setting up the race to the finish which ended with the two teams tied at 54 at the end of regulation after Little Rock was unable to convert their final opportunity in the closing seconds.
After falling behind by three at the midway point of the overtime period, Little Rock used a 4-0 run to pull back in front at 63-62 off a reverse-layup from
Andre Jones with 1:23 remaining. Trailing 64-63,
Damir Hadzic hit one of two free throws with five seconds remaining, and Oral Roberts' half court heave hit the back iron, forcing a second overtime.
But in the second bonus period, shots again were hard to come by for the Trojans as Little Rock also struggled to get a rebound, seeing its chance slip away as the Golden Eagles outscored the Trojans 10-2 over the final five minutes, aided by four offensive boards.
Oral Roberts had four players in double figures, led by an 18-point, 20-rebound performance for Javan White. Albert Owens added 19 points for the Golden Eagles with R.J. Fuqua adding 15.
After playing four games in seven days, Little Rock will have some off time to recoup and seek a way to find its scoring touch, especially with a road-heavy stretch looming. The Trojans will play four of their next five away from the Jack Stephens Center, beginning one week from tonight when Little Rock heads to Conway for the back end of the home and home against Central Arkansas. Opening tip against the Bears is set for 7 p.m.
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