Hot Second Half Lifts Little Rock to Win at USA

MOBILE, Ala. – Little Rock (15-15, 6-11 SBC) shot 73.7 percent from the floor in the second half to overcome a 14-point halftime deficit and top South Alabama (13-17, 6-11 SBC) 62-57 at the Mitchell Center on Saturday. The win was Little Rock's second straight.
 
The Trojans made 14 of 19 shots after halftime, including 7 of 8 from 3-point range. Little Rock connected on all nine of its free throw attempts in the second half.
 
Down five with 2:06 to play, Little Rock used a 10-0 run to take its first lead of the night. The run started with 3-pointers from Deondre Burns and Lis Shoshi to put the Trojans up 56-55. A Jalen Jackson steal led to a transition layup by Marcus Johnson Jr. to make the margin 58-55 with 43 seconds to play. Finally, Kemy Osse hit a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left to put Little Rock on top 60-55 and all but seal the victory.
 
Burns led Little Rock with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor and a 4-of-4 effort from 3-point range. Johnson made four treys and scored 14 points.
 
Little Rock's defense held South Alabama to 38.1 percent shooting in the second half. The Trojans were able to overcome 24 turnovers by finishing the game shooting 48.6 percent from the floor, 55.6 percent from 3 and 84.2 percent from the foul line.
 
Little Rock began making its move immediately after halftime.
 
The Trojans used a 10-0 run early in the second half to trim what was a 14-point halftime deficit to four. Treys by Stetson Billings and Johnson started the run. Jackson added a bucket at the 15:06 mark and two Oliver Black free throws made the score 34-30 with 14:42 to play.
 
After South Alabama responded with five unanswered points, the Trojans bounced back with a 6-0 spurt. Johnson's fourth 3-pointer of the game made it a three-point game, 39-36, with 11:20 remaining.
 
The margin shrunk to 44-42 after two Osse free throws with 6:31 left, but the Jaguars were able to create some breathing room with treys from Nick Davis and Shaq Calhoun. The second 3-pointer put the Jags up 51-46 with under five minutes to go.
 
The Trojans continued to whittle the margin. Black's old-fashioned 3-point play again made it a three-point game, 51-48, with 4:08 left in regulation. Shoshi's jumper from the wing made it a one-point game with 2:44 to go.
 
Little Rock finished with a 34-18 margin on the glass. Led by Johnson, the Trojans' bench scored 26 points.
 
Little Rock trailed 32-18 at halftime after a sluggish start that saw the Trojans fall into a 15-point hole less than 10 minutes into the game.
 
Little Rock committed 10 turnovers in the first 10 minutes and missed its first seven shots of the game. The Trojans trailed South Alabama 19-4 following Nick Stover's layup with 10:20 to go in the half.
 
All told, Little Rock turned it over 14 times in the first half leading to 16 South Alabama points.
 
The Trojans close the regular season Saturday at Troy. Tipoff is set for 4:15 p.m.
 
Sun Belt Championship Tickets
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 school's 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.