LITTLE ROCK – It has been a dozen games since the Trojan women's basketball team last suffered a loss. On Saturday, they'll look to turn that into a baker's dozen.
Now 12-0 in the Sun Belt Conference, the Trojans bring that undefeated record to San Marcos, Texas, for a 2 p.m. tipoff against Texas State.
Little Rock pushed its winning streak to 12 games with a fourth-quarter push against UT Arlington on Saturday. Trailing that game by two entering the final quarter and only having scored 30 points in the first three periods, the Trojans erupted for 28 points in the fourth quarter and defeated the then-second-place Mavericks by 8.
Sharde' Collins had 13 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter and Little Rock shot 10 of 14 from the field in the period.
That victory was the Trojans' 25th consecutive regular-season victory against Sun Belt opposition, and the win raised Little Rock's already Sun Belt-leading RPI to No. 39 in the nation, its new best RPI of the season. The Trojans have now won 11 consecutive conference games on the road.
This week has also seen the Trojans move up in national polls. In the USA Today Coaches Poll announced on Monday, Little Rock earned three points, an increase of two points from the previous week's poll. And Little Rock shot up to No. 17 in the Mid Major Top 25 announced on Tuesday night after spending the previous week in the No. 25 spot.
Saturday's game will not be easy for the Trojans. Texas State is on a two-game winning streak that includes a road win at UT Arlington last Saturday. And the Bobcats have won six of their last seven games. Now at 7-4 in the Sun Belt Conference, Texas State is in fourth place and has its eyes on a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
The Bobcats are led on offense by Taeler Deer, whose 10.5 points per game are the most on the roster. She also leads Texas State in assists with 3.4 per game. Ericka May is Texas State's top rebounder with 6.5 boards per game. No other Bobcats player has more than four rebounds per game.
As a team, the Bobcats have the second-best scoring defense in the Sun Belt, allowing just 58.3 points per game.
TIP OFF
- Little Rock has won 12 consecutive games and stands alone in first place in the Sun Belt Conference.
- The Trojans' 12-game winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the nation.
- The Trojans have now won at least 12 Sun Belt games for 11 straight years.
- Little Rock used a 28-point fourth quarter to come from behind and beat second-place UT Arlington on Thursday. Sharde' Collins had 13 of her 17 points in the fourth.
- Little Rock received three points in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll, up from one received last week. Trojans are ranked No. 17 in this week's Mid Major Top 25.
- The Trojan offense is scoring 74.3 points per conference game, second-best in the Sun Belt and best in program history for any single season.
- Kaitlyn Pratt was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week for the third time this season on Monday.
- Little Rock has the highest RPI in the Sun Belt this season, ranking 39th in the nation as of Friday morning, up nine spots from Thursday.
- The Trojans have won 11 consecutive conference games on the road are 6-2 against Texas State since the Mavericks joined the Sun Belt before the 2013-14 season.
The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy. New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from your our ticket office. For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites -
Men's Championship –
Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the @FunBelt on social media -
@SunBelt.
