LITTLE ROCK – Paced by career offensive nights for
Rayjon Tucker and
Ryan Pippins, Little Rock broke out to an early lead and never looked back, routing Sam Houston State 79-52 on Homecoming Saturday afternoon at the Jack Stephens Center.
The win snaps a two-game skid for the Trojans, who improve to 4-4 on the year and 3-1 at home. Sam Houston State drops to 3-6 as Little Rock now holds a 4-3 lead in the all-time series between the two.
Tucker became the second Trojan to notch a 30-point game this season, finishing with a career-high 33 points – ranking as the second-most by a Little Rock player at the Jack Stephens Center. The offensive surge came off 8-of-12 shooting from the floor, including a 4-of-7 clip from three-point range, while converting 13 of his 15 free throw attempts. He also added eight rebounds against the Bearkats.
Pippins finished with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, making five of his nine three-point attempts, pulling down five rebounds in the process. The 20 points bests his previous career-high of 19, set last year in the upset victory at Louisiana, as he becomes the fifth different Trojan to reach 20 points in a game this season.
Tucker and Pippins paced an efficient Trojan offense that finished the game shooting 47.9 percent from the floor (23-of-48) and 45.5 percent from three-point range (10-of-22). Little Rock also saw a marked improvement from the free throw line from its last outing, making 23 of 31 attempts, making 74.2% of its attempts.
But where head coach
Darrell Walker was most pleased was on the defensive front as Little Rock put together arguably its best defensive effort of the season. The Trojans held Sam Houston State to just 34.5% shooting (19-of-55) and 18.5% (5-of-27) from three-point range. Additionally, Little Rock forced 15 Bearkat turnovers, resulting in a 21-12 edge in points off turnovers.
Jaizec Lottie reached double digits as well for the Trojans, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Kris Bankston added nine points with four rebounds, making three of his four attempts as his season field goal percentage sits at 86.8%.
Opening up the first of four-straight home games, Little Rock looked to a have a slight carry-over from the past two games as Sam Houston State came out firing early, building a quick 10-4 lead. The Bearkats extended their lead to seven at 15-8 with 14:38 remaining in the opening half, forcing head coach
Darrell Walker to use his first time out.
That break turned out to be exactly what the Trojans needed as Little Rock rattled off nine of the next 11 points, tying the game at 17-17 with 9:03 remaining. Trailing 19-17,
Rayjon Tucker converted on a four-point play, giving Little Rock its first lead at 20-19 – a lead the Trojans never relinquished.
Over the final eight minutes of the first half, the Trojans outscored the Bearkats 18-7, including a 16-2 run over a six-minute span, extending a 22-21 lead to a 38-23 advantage in the waning seconds. A dunk with two seconds remaining in the half pulled Sam Houston State to within 13 at the break, trailing Little Rock 38-25.
Little Rock shot 50% from both the floor (12-of-24) and the three-point line (6-of-12) in the opening 20 minutes, led by 19 points from Tucker and 10 from Pippins. Defensively, the Trojans limited the Bearkats to just 35.7% from the floor (10-of-28) and 15.4% from beyond the arc (2-of-13).
After seeing the last two opponents use an extended run to begin the second, Little Rock was determined to be the aggressor and extend its lead. Lottie stepped up to take control early in the second, converting a fast-break layup off a steal, then hitting an off-balance three from the corner as the shot clock expired in back-to-back possessions, upping Little Rock's lead to 18 at 43-25.
Little Rock kept Sam Houston State at bay for the duration of the second, extending its advantage to 24 points at 59-35 with 8:39 remaining as Tucker and Pippins continued to be a Bearkat wrecking crew. The Trojan lead reached 31 points in the waning minutes at 79-48, cruising to the convincing 27-point victory.
The Trojans now prepare for another big challenge at the Jack as Little Rock welcome Bradley to the capitol city Tuesday evening. The Braves are 6-2 on the year and handed the Trojans their worst defeat of the season in 2017-18, besting Little Rock by 40 points in Peoria, Illinois. Opening tip is set for 6:30 p.m.
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