LITTLE ROCK – Ben Marcus posted a career night for Little Rock, setting personal bests with 17 points and 11 rebounds, but the effort wasn't enough to will the Trojans to victory, falling to Coastal Carolina 65-60 at the Jack Stephens Center. The loss drops Little Rock to 6-22 on the season and 3-12 in Sun Belt Conference play.
Marcus registered his 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting, besting his previous high of 14. His career-high 11 rebounds marked the first time this season a Trojan player had posted a double-double as he added a team-high three assists.
Marcus also surpassed the 90 field goal attempts minimum to qualify for the Little Rock single-season field goal percentage mark as his 71.3 percent shooting on the year is well beyond the current record of 65.0 percent, set by Ryan Moss in 1997-98.
Marcus was one of three Trojans to finish in double figures, followed by 11 each for both
Cameron Corcoran and
Anthony Black as the duo each registered a pair of assists.
Camron Reedus added eight for Little Rock while
Wadly Mompremier pulled down six rebounds.
Little Rock outshot Coastal Carolina from the floor, making 40.4 percent of its shots (21-of-52) compared to 33.3 percent (17-of-51) for the Chanticleers. But once again, free throw shooting proved costly as Coastal Carolina made 23 free throws to 11 for the Trojans, more than providing the margin of defeat.
The Trojans were effective in the paint, outscoring the Chanticleers 24-6, but trailed in the rebounding edge 40-36, with a number of offensive rebounds grabbed by Coastal down the stretch to preserve the victory.
An abundance of whistles in the early going made it difficult to establish any rhythm as the Trojans were whistled for five fouls before they picked up their first points of the game. After spotting Coastal Carolina a five-point lead, the Trojans pulled to within two twice before a 9-2 run gave the Chanticleers an 18-9 edge early.
Little Rock found itself down by as many as 11 at 29-18 at the 3:45 mark before slowly beginning to chip away at the led. The Trojans cut the deficit to eight at the half, trailing 31-23, hampered by making just eight of their 21 shots in the opening 20 minutes (38.1 percent) and making five of their 10 free throw attempts.
Early in the second half, Little Rock continued to draw closer as four points each from Marcus and Lottie helped the Trojans pull to within four at 35-31 with 15:54 remaining. Marcus remained a catalyst, pulling down rebounds, dishing out assists and scoring points as Little Rock climbed to within two at 39-37 with just over 12 minutes remaining.
Trailing 42-40, Little Rock gave up a 9-3 run to the Chanticleers, falling behind by eight at 51-43 with five minutes to go. The Trojans were able to scrape back to within four at 55-51, holding Coastal Carolina to 29.2 percent shooting in the second half and 20.0 percent from beyond the arc. But some crucial offensive rebounds for the Chanticleers proved to be the difference down the stretch, leading to second chance points that put the Trojans away.
With the loss, Little Rock falls to 0-4 all-time against Coastal Carolina as head coach
Wes Flanigan is still seeking his first victory over his former Auburn coach Cliff Ellis. Coastal had four players finish in double figures, led by 15 from Jaylen Shaw and 14 from Tyrell Gumbs-Frater with seven rebounds.
Little Rock now prepares for its final home game at the Jack Stephens Center this season, welcoming Appalachian State on Saturday, February 24. The Mountaineers fell at Arkansas State 82-79 Thursday evening and sit at 12-17 on the year and 7-9 in Sun Belt Conference play. Opening tip will be at approximately 5:15 Saturday afternoon as seniors
Brandon Brady,
Wadly Mompremier and
Khari Harley will be recognized prior to the game.
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