Trojans Topple Mountaineers; Foley Earns 300th LR Win

BOONE, N.C. – Head coach Joe Foley earned his 300th win as head coach of Little Rock women's basketball as the Trojans defeated Appalachian State 52-40 on Thursday evening at Holmes Convocation Center.
 
The first-place Trojans (11-8, 8-0 Sun Belt) tallied their 13th consecutive Sun Belt win dating back to last season and have now won eight in a row this season.
 
Ronjanae DeGray led the game with 18 points and tallied five rebounds. Tori Lasker was the other Trojan in double figures as she put up 14 while going 4-for-8 from three. Raeyana DeGray led Little Rock with seven rebounds while Monique Townson added a game-high seven assists.
 
The Mountaineers (5-15, 3-6 Sun Belt) had no players in double figures as Tierra Wilson and LaPresha Stanley each tallied nine. Bayley Plummer led the game with 10 rebounds and added five points.
 
After a cold third quarter, Little Rock finished the game on a strong note by outscoring App State 13-9 in the final 10 minutes. Lasker scored 11 of the Trojans' 13 points in the fourth quarter as she went 4-for-6 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. All 13 of Little Rock's points came off the bench. App State didn't help its cause as it committed five turnovers in the final period compared to Little Rock's one.
 
The Mountaineers picked up the pace in the third quarter by outscoring the Trojans 13-6 and cutting Little Rock's lead to eight at 39-31. The Trojans' shot was cold in the third period at 23.1 percent (3-for-13) while the Mountaineers were 4-for-10 from the field and 2-for-3 from deep. DeGray upped her total to 16 points and scored all six of Little Rock's points for the quarter. DeGray's first basket in the quarter gave Little Rock its largest lead of the game at 17 points with 6:52 left in the period.
 
The Trojans ended the first half with a 33-18 lead over the Mountaineers. Ronjanae DeGray started to catch fire as she ended the half with a game-leading 10 points. Of Little Rock's 12 baskets in the first half, 10 had an assist attached while five came from Townson.
 
Little Rock tied its season high for first-quarter points as it hung 22 on App State while holding the Mountaineers to eight. Little Rock shot 47.1 percent (8-for-17) in the period as Keanna Keys led the quarter with six points. The Trojans forced eight Mountaineer turnovers while committing none. Of the eight turnovers, four came on steals by Little Rock. Fourteen of the Trojans' 22 points came off turnovers.
 
Terrion Moore finished the game with five points and a career-high six assists. Yanina Inkina had four points with a rebound and a steal, and Kira Shepard had three points.
 
The Trojans had good ball movement as 16 of their 20 baskets had an assist.
 
App State's 22 turnovers were the second-most by a Little Rock opponent this season and were the most by a Little Rock opponent in Sun Belt play. The Trojans' nine steals tied for the second-most in a game this season and were the most in conference play.
 
Little Rock will look to make it nine in a row on Saturday as it travels to Conway, South Carolina, to battle Coastal Carolina. Opening tip against the Chanticleers is scheduled for noon (CT).