LITTLE ROCK – The smallest guy on the court came up huge on a record night at the Jack Stephens Center.
5-8 freshman
Markquis Nowell finished with 34 points and eight assists in his collegiate debut, setting the Jack Stephens Center record for most points by a Trojan and willing Little Rock to the 101-92 overtime victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State.
Nowell's 34 points is the most by a player in his debut in Trojan program history, and he did so in dramatic fashion. The Harlem, New York native posted 12 points in the second half, including a tough lay-up in the paint with less than two seconds remaining, tying the game at 79-79 to force the overtime period.
His blistering pace continued into the overtime period as he finished with 14 points in the extra stanza, sealing the win for head coach
Darrell Walker in his Little Rock debut.
"One thing we found out for sure tonight, Markquis isn't afraid of the popcorn and the bright lights," Walker said following the game. "He was feeling it, and really put the team on his back when we needed it the most. He's going to be a special player."
Markquis' performance was one of a number of record-setting occurrences on the night. Little Rock and Southeastern Oklahoma combined for 76 three-point attempts, 47 of which came from the Savage Storm. That shatters the previous record of threes attempted by an opponent, set by Western Kentucky with their 33 attempts in 2013.
Southeastern Oklahoma State connected on 18 shots beyond the arc, setting the new Jack Stephens Center record for threes in a game by a single team, besting the 17 Little Rock made against ULM in 2011 and the 16 made by Troy in 2007.
Four different Trojans finished in double figures on the night as sophomore
Kris Bankston posted a career-best 18 points with eight rebounds while junior
Rayjon Tucker added 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in his Little Rock debut. Sophomore
Jaizec Lottie also added 13 points and four assists for the Trojans.
For the game, Little Rock shot 55.9 percent from the floor, hitting 38 of its 68 shots, while going 12-for-29 from beyond the arc (41.4%) and 13-of-23 from the free throw line (56.5%).
Little Rock raced out to a quick start in its first game under coach Walker with the first basket of the new era coming off an alley-oop dunk from
Markquis Nowell to
Rayjon Tucker just 12 seconds into the game.
The early momentum for the Trojans began to fade midway through the opening half as Southeastern Oklahoma State reeled off four-straight three-pointers, aided by three-straight Trojan turnovers. That run flipped a two-point Little Rock lead into a 10-point deficit at 29-19 with 9:48 remaining in the opening half.
The Savage Storm kept their advantage for the remainder of the opening stanza with Little Rock able to trim the deficit to three at 37-34 with just over a minute remaining as the Trojans trailed 39-34 at the half. Southeastern Oklahoma State thrived on the glass, outrebounding Little Rock 21-13 in the opening 20 minutes, including 9-2 in offensive boards.
Little Rock continued to chip away in the second half, aided by a strong performance from Nowell. A pair of threes from the freshman gave the Trojans its first lead at 53-52 with 14:03 remaining, its first advantage since midway through the first half.
Southeastern Oklahoma responded with a run of its own, outscoring the Trojans 11-2 over a three-minute span, capped by its 34th-three point attempt, a Jack Stephens Arena record, extending its lead to 63-55 with 11:04 remaining.
Little Rock was able to pull to within three on a handful of occasions, but the three-pointers and offensive rebounds by Southeastern Oklahoma kept the Trojans at bay. A final push by Little Rock got the Trojans to within two at 75-73 with just under two minutes to play, then a defensive stop with 30 seconds to go led to the Nowell runner as time expired, forcing the overtime period.
The Trojans wore down the Savage Storm in the extra frame, outscoring Southeastern Oklahoma State 22-13 in the overtime, led by the 14 from Nowell. Little Rock hit seven of its eight shots in overtime, including going 2-for-2 from three and making six of 10 free throw attempts.
The late rally staves off what could have been losses to Division II Great American Conference members for the second-straight year as the Trojans improve to 9-1 against the GAC since making the jump to the Division I level. Little Rock improves to 41-40 in season openers and 37-3 in home openers at the Division I level.
Additionally, Little Rock improves to 40-42 all-time in overtime games and 60-13 in games in which it reaches 100 points, surpassing the century mark for the first time since a 100-61 win over University of the Ozarks in 2016.
The win should provide Little Rock with some added confidence as the Trojans now get set to embark on a tough three-game road trip, beginning Tuesday, November 13 in Nashville against Tennessee State. Opening tip against the Tigers is set for 7 p.m. from the Gentry Center and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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