LITTLE ROCK – Thanks to a second-half surge, sparked by freshman
Markquis Nowell's 14 points after intermission, Little Rock rallied from a nine-point first half deficit to take a convincing 73-59 victory over Troy at the Jack Stephens Center.
Little Rock snaps its four-game losing streak and notches its first Sun Belt Conference victory of the season, improving to 6-10 overall and 1-2 in league play. Troy falls to 8-7 overall and matches the Trojans at 1-2 in Sun Belt play.
Nowell's 16 points led a Little Rock offense that saw four different players finish in double figures. Nowell shot 5-of-12 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three point range, making four of his five attempts in the second half. He also dished out a game-high six assists.
Rayjon Tucker continued his double digit streak with 14 points, his 15th-straight game of at least 10 points. Tucker paced the Trojans from the free throw line, making six of seven, finishing with four rebounds and four assists.
Deondre Burns saw his most productive game since his career-high game against Howard in November, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds off the bench for the Trojans.
Kamani Johnson proved a solid option down low for Little Rock, registering 11 points and seven rebounds while going 4-for-5 from the floor.
Jaizec Lottie and
Nikola Maric just missed joining the double-digit club, finishing with nine points each. Lottie went 4-for-9 from the floor with three rebounds in his first game since suffering a hand injury at Memphis in December. Maric also went 4-for-9 from the floor, pulling down a pair of boards.
As a team, the Trojans shot just 40.3% from the floor, hampered by Little Rock's 28.1% shooting in the first half. They responded to connect on 53% of their shots in the second half, holding Troy to 38.3% from the floor.
But arguably no area saw a bigger improvement for Little Rock than in turnovers. Averaging over 20 in each of its four losses, the Trojans turned the table on Troy and committed just 13 while forcing 23 for the Alabama Trojans, leading to a 27-10 advantage in points off those miscues.
Playing its first home game in nearly a month, Little Rock came out strong, building a 7-6 lead early. But Troy rattled off an 8-0 run, putting Little Rock in a 14-7 hole with 12:13 remaining in the opening half. The road Trojans would extend that lead to as many as nine at 21-12 at the 7:38 mark, aided by six Little Rock turnovers.
Little Rock continued to chip away at the deficit, pulling to within two at 25-23 off a three-pointer from Tucker. Trailing 28-23 with two minutes to go in the opening half, the Trojans outscored Troy 4-1 over the final 90 seconds, pulling to within two at the break off a fast break layup from Nowell.
The two-point deficit came off the Trojans going 9-of-32 in the opening 20 minutes and committing eight turnovers with Tucker leading the team with 10 in the first half.
Little Rock's scoring touch returned in the second half as the Trojans battled Troy basket for basket, with a three-pointer from Nowell giving Little Rock the 34-33 lead, its first since the opening half.
Nowell and Burns would then knock down another three, sparking Little Rock to a 20-4 run over an eight minute span and giving the home Trojans a 13-point cushion at 54-41 at the midway point of the second half. Troy made just one field goal during that span, going 1-of-7 from the floor.
After Little Rock extended its lead to 15 at 59-44, Troy closed the gap to 11 at 60-49 with just over six minutes to play. But eager for its first victory in a month, Little Rock played the aggressor down the stretch, extending its advantage back to 18 at 70-52 off an and-one from Burns to seal the 73-59 victory.
Little Rock will look to extend its home winning streak Saturday, welcoming South Alabama to the Jack. The Jaguars fell 66-65 to Arkansas State in Jonesboro Thursday night and sit at 9-7 on the year and 2-1 in Sun Belt play. Opening tip is set for 3 p.m.
#LittleRocksTeam
