STARTING FIVE
• Little Rock hits the road for the first of 15 road games in nine different states in 2018-19.
• Tuesday's game marks the second all-time meeting between Tennessee State and Little Rock with the Tigers earning a 62-60 victory in 1992.
• Markquis Nowell enters Tuesday's game tied for third nationally in points per game, setting a program record for points in a debut with 34 against the Savage Storm.
• The win Thursday night was the 999th in Little Rock basketball history, leaving the Trojans one victory shy of 1,000 in program history.
• Darrell Walker became the 12th Trojan basketball coach to win his debut and the first to surpass 100 points in his first game on the Little Rock sideline.
OPENING TIP
Little Rock hits the road for the first time this season, making the first of its two trips to battle Tigers in Tennessee. This one takes the Trojans to Nashville for a showdown with Tennessee State Tuesday, November 13, tipping off at 7 p.m. from the Gentry Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Ray Tucker handling the radio call on The Point 94.1 FM. Live stats will be available at TrojanStats.com with Twitter updates @LittleRockMBB.
SPIN THOSE WHEELS
Little Rock's trip to Nashville marks the first of 15 road games for the Trojans in 2018-19, covering nine different states in that span. Tennessee is one of six states Little Rock will play a pair of road games in this season, returning to the Volunteer State in December to face Memphis. Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and Georgia are the other states the Trojans will play a pair of road contests while lacing them up for single games in Nevada, Oklahoma and Washington D.C.
FROM ONE...
With the come-from-behind overtime victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State Thursday evening, Darrell Walker emerged victorious in his first game at the helm of the Trojans. Walker becomes the 12th Little Rock head coach to win his Trojan debut, and the third-straight behind Chris Beard (2015) and Wes Flanigan (2016), but holds the distinction of being the only head coach in program history to surpass the 100-point plateau in his Little Rock debut.
...TO 999
The thrilling overtime victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State not only got the Darrell Walker era at Little Rock off to an exciting start, it also moved the program one step closer to an impressive historical milestone. The victory was the 999th in program history, leaving Little Rock one win shy of reaching 1,000 all-time program victories. Playing its first season in 1930-31, the Trojans have accumulated 35 winning seasons, winning 20 or more games 11 times, as 662 of those 999 victories have come at the Division I level.
MR. NEW YORK CITY
The most impressive freshman debut in program history came Thursday night as 5-8 guard Markquis Nowell finished with 34 points, eight assists, four steals and four rebounds against the Savage Storm. The 34 points for Nowell marks the most ever for a Trojan freshman in his debut while setting a new record for points by a Trojan at the Jack Stephens Center, surpassing the 30 points scored by Roger Woods in 2016 and Marcus Johnson Jr. in 2015. Nowell finished 12-of-24 from the floor and 6-of-13 from beyond the arc, scoring 12 points in the second half (including the game-tying shot with 1.6 seconds remaining) and 14 in overtime to propel Little Rock to the victory.Â
FIRING FROM DOWNTOWN
Little Rock and Southeastern Oklahoma State put on quite the battle beyond the arc in the season opener Thursday, setting multiple Jack Stephens Center three-point records in the process.
• Combined three-point attempts: 76 (Previous: 51 vs. Centenary, 2015)
• Team three-pointers made: 18 - Southeastern Oklahoma State (Previous: 17 - Little Rock vs. ULM, 2011)
• Team three-pointers attempted: 47 - Southeastern Oklahoma State (Previous: 33 - Western Kentucky, 2013)
• Little Rock three-point attempts: 13 - Markquis Nowell (Previous: 11 - Marcus Johnson Jr. vs. Central Arkansas, 2016; Nikola Cicic vs. St. Gregory's, 2009)
THE CENTURY MARK
Thanks to the 34-point record performance from Markquis Nowell, Little Rock reached the 100-point mark for the first time since the 100-61 victory over University of the Ozarks on November 14, 2016. It marked the 73rd 100-point game in Trojan program history as Little Rock improved to 60-13 all-time when it reaches the century mark.
BONUS BASKETBALL
Fans that came to the Trojans' season opener Thursday night got their money's worth as Little Rock outlasted Southeastern Oklahoma State 101-92 in overtime. The game marked the 82nd overtime game in program history with Little Rock holding a 40-42 all-time record in games that extend beyond regulation. The Trojans went 1-2 in overtime games in 2017-18, capping the regular season with the dramatic 72-61 win over Sun Belt Conference champion Louisiana in Lafayette on March 3, 2018.
TAKE IT TO THE BANK-STON
Another impressive performance for Little Rock Thursday evening came from sophomore forward Kris Bankston, who finished with a career-high 18 points for the Trojans. Bankston was an efficient 7-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-7 from the free throw line, pulling down eight rebounds with two block and two steals against Southeastern Oklahoma State. The 18 points surpassed his previous career high of 14, a mark he reached twice in his freshman season.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
2018-19: 0-1 overall, 0-0 Ohio Valley Conference
Last Game: L at Lipscomb (86-79)Â |Â Next Two: Nov. 15 vs. Carver; Nov. 17 vs. Fisk
Series: Tennessee State leads 1-0, defeating Little Rock 62-60 in Springfield, Mo. on Dec. 5, 1992
Head Coach: Brian "Penny" Collins (Belmont, 2006). First season at Tennessee State (0-1)
TROJANS AGAINST THE OVC
Little Rock's game at Tennessee State Tuesday marks the 23rd game the Trojans will have played against current members of the Ohio Valley Conference in program history, compiling an 11-11 overall record against the OVC. The most contests have come against Austin Peay, a team the Trojans have faced six times in program history. Little Rock has winning records against Southeast Missouri (3-1), UT-Martin (4-0) and Jacksonville State (1-0).
#LittleRocksTeam
