Home Stand Continues Against Mountaineers Saturday

OPENING TIP
Little Rock's three game home stands continues Saturday, January 26, with the second installment when the Trojans host Appalachian State at 3 p.m. The game will stream live on ESPN+ with Ben Creighton and U.S. Reed calling the action. Ray Tucker will once again carry the radio call live on The Point 94.1 FM and online at KKPT.com.

STARTING FIVE
• Little Rock and Appalachian State meet for the 12th time in the series history with the Trojans holding a 6-5 edge all-time. This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams in the last calendar year with the Mountaineers winning the three previous.
• Rayjon Tucker ranks among the national leaders in a number of categories and has been a force from the free throw line. He ranks 18th nationally in free throws made (112) and 19th in free throws attempted (144) and is 39th in scoring average (20.2 ppg).
• Kris Bankston needs 19 more baskets to reach the minimum to qualify for the single season lead in field goal percentage. His 82.6% mark this season would shatter the previous record of 65.0%, set by Ryan Moss in 1997-98.
• Bankston threw down four more dunks against Coastal Carolina, upping his season total to 48 as the Trojans are now out-dunking their opponents 77-36 on the season.
• As a team, the Trojans are 11th nationally in free throw attempts (489) and sit 17th in field goal percentage (49.3%).

BACK IN THE BELT
The 2018-19 season marks Little Rock's 28th year as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, joining the league in the 1991-92 season. During that stretch, the Trojans have posted a 238-227 (.512) record in conference play, winning the 2016 Sun Belt regular season title to complement Little Rock's five divisional championships. Little Rock and Appalachian State have been Sun Belt rivals since the start of the 2014-15 season with the Trojans winning five of the nine meetings between the two.

COACHES vs. CANCER
Saturday's game against Appalachian State will take on an even greater significance, marking Little Rock's Suits & Sneakers game as part of Coaches vs. Cancer week. Head coach Darrell Walker and his staff will wear sneakers with gold laces to support Princess Lacey's Laces, helping to raise funds for cancer research as part of a nationwide initiative from the National Association of Basketball Coaches. 

MR. DO-IT-ALL
Rayjon Tucker has emerged as the leader of the Trojans this season and is making a case to be listed among the top players in the Sun Belt Conference. Tucker currently ranks in the top 10 in the league in six statistical categories, including first in minutes per game (36:04), fifth in scoring (20.2) and field goal percentage (50.9%) and fourth in defensive rebounds (5.7). He is also making a splash nationally at the free throw line, ranking 18th in the NCAA in free throws made (112) and 19th in free throws attempted (144), leading the Sun Belt in both categories. Tucker also checks in at 39th in both minutes per game and points per game and is 43rd in total points (384). 

TROJANS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
As a team, Little Rock finds itself ranked among the national leaders in a number of categories. The Trojans are 11th nationally free throw attempts (489) and have been one of the country's most efficient teams from the floor, ranking 17th in field goal percentage at 49.3%. Little Rock is also sits 49th in free throws made (317), 59th in assists (300), 70th in turnovers forced (15.2) and 72nd in three point field goal percentage (36.6%).

DOUBLE FIGURE CLUB
Little Rock's offense has been efficient this season as the Trojans are averaging 76.8 points per game, ranking fifth in the Sun Belt. That effort has been paced by Rayjon Tucker, who is averaging 20.2 points per game and has scored in double figures in 18 of his 19 games this season, going over 20 points eight times. Tucker is joined in the club by Nikola Maric (11) and Markquis Nowell (11) as the other two Trojans to achieve the feat 10 times this season with Little Rock's roster combining for 70 games of 10 points or more in 2018-19.

MAKING PROGRESS
A major area of emphasis for Little Rock has been its free throw shooting. As a team, the Trojans are shooting 64.8% from the charity stripe, ranking 321st out of 353 Division I programs. However Little Rock has seen vast improvements in the category, shooting nearly 70% in Sun Belt play and upping their percentage by 10 percentage points while climbing 30 spots in the national rankings since the end of November.

BIG MAN BANKSTON
Kris Bankston continues to put together a solid sophomore year for Little Rock, making his presence felt inside. Bankston has registered 48 dunks on the year, which has propelled him to an 82.6% field goal percentage on the year (71-of-86), a mark which would lead the NCAA had he met the minimum of 5.0 made FGs per game. Bankston needs 19 more made baskets to reach the program minimum to rank among field goal percentage leaders - a mark he would shatter in the Trojan record book from current leader Ryan Moss' 65.0% mark in 1997-98.

1,000 MINUTE CLUB
Deondre Burns logged 26 minutes against Coastal Carolina Thursday, upping his career minutes played to 1,010 as a Trojan. Burns is one of two players on the roster with over 1,000 minutes logged, second to Jaizec Lottie's 1,306 career minutes played. The next closest to reaching the milestone are Ryan Pippins (899) and Kris Bankston (865).

THROW IT DOWN, BIG MEN
Little Rock is earning a reputation as one of the nation's top dunking teams as the Trojans have recorded 77 dunks through the first 20 games of the 2018-19 season, averaging 3.9 per game. Kris Bankston has become the poster boy for slams for Little Rock with 48 of his 71 field goals coming off dunks. Little Rock has more than doubled-up its opponents thus far in 2018-19, out-dunking the competition 77-36. 

FRESHMAN FOURSOME
Little Rock's freshman foursome have been called on early and often as the group of Markquis Nowell, Kamani Johnson, Horace Wyatt Jr. and Nikola Maric have started six of the Trojans' last seven games. The freshmen have combined to play 1,557 of Little Rock's 4,050 minutes this season (38.4%), providing 560 of the Trojans' 1,537 points (36.4%). The group has accounted for 241 rebounds (35.2%) while combining for 57 of Little Rock's 100 starts in 2018-19 (57.0%).

LAST TIME OUT
Trailing by 12 with four minutes remaining, Little Rock mounted a furious rally against Coastal Carolina, tying the game at 71-71 with less than a minute to play. But a foul in the final seconds allowed the Chanticleers to put up the extra point it needed as the Trojans half court shot at the buzzer bounced off the back rim in a 72-71 loss. 

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
2018-19: 5-14 overall, 0-6 Sun Belt (12th), 0-9 on the road
Last Three Games: L at Arkansas State (82-81, OT); L at Coastal Carolina (89-72); L vs. Texas State (70-69)
Series: Little Rock leads, 6-5 (.545) | Streak: App State won 3 | First: Nov. 18, 2005 (L, 75-65) | Last: Mar. 7, 2018 (L, 93-64) 
Head Coach: Jim Fox (SUNY-Geneseo, 1995). Fifth season at Appalachian State (50-92)
Key Players:
• #2 Ronshad Shabazz (Sr., G): 18.6 ppg., 2.8 rpg., 44.6 FG%, 80.0 FT%
• #1 Justin Forrest (So., G): 15.6 ppg., 3.2 rpg., 40.0 FG%, 80.3 FT%
• #0 Justin Johnson (Jr., F): 10.3 ppg., 8.8 rpg., 52.2 FG%
• #32 Tyrell Johnson (Sr., F): 8.2 ppg., 4.5 rpg., 45.5 FG%
• #20 Adrian Delph (Fr., G): 6.8 ppg., 2.3 rpg., 48.0 FG%

LAST TIME vs. THE MOUNTAINEERS
Appalachian State dominated from start to finish in a 93-64 win over Little Rock in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, ending the Trojans' 2017-18 season. The Mountaineers shot 55.6% from the floor, contrasted by the Trojans' 39.3% shooting, making just four of its 18 attempts from beyond the three-point arc (22.2%). 

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