LITTLE ROCK – Once again, Little Rock staged a furious rally down 12 with under four minutes remaining, but once again the effort came up short as the Trojans drop a 77-73 decision to Appalachian State at the Jack Stephens Center Saturday afternoon.
Down 67-55, Little Rock was able to get to within three at 70-67 with just under two minutes to play, but couldn't hold off the Appalachian State attack down the stretch.
Once again, turnovers proved to be a huge storyline for the Trojans as Little Rock committed 21 on the afternoon, resulting in a 23-4 edge in points off turnovers for the Mountaineers.
Four different Trojans scored in double figures, led by 20 points from
Markquis Nowell who added a game-high five assists and four rebounds. That mark was complemented by 17 points and seven rebounds from
Rayjon Tucker as the duo combined to go a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
Nikola Maric and
Deondre Burns both finished with 10 points with Burns scoring eight of his during the comeback in the second half.
Kris Bankston just missed joining the club, finishing with eight points, including three dunks to up his season total to 51. He also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
As a team, Little Rock shot 46.4% from the floor and limited the Mountaineers to just 42.1% as both teams knocked down nine threes. An edge for Appalachian State came at the free throw line where the Mountaineers connected on 20 of their 25 shots, compared to 12-of-20 for Little Rock.
It was a fast start for Little Rock against Appalachian State, knocking down eight of the first 10 points within the opening two minutes and built a seven point lead at 11-4 within the game's first four minutes.
It was a lead it couldn't maintain, however, as the Mountaineers used 9-1 run over the ensuing three minutes, taking its first lead of the game at 13-12. After the Trojans reclaimed the lead at 14-13, Appalachian State would string together another extended run, outscoring Little Rock 8-1 to build a 21-15 advantage – capping a 17-2 stretch over an eight minute span.
Little Rock was plagued by turnovers in the opening 20 minutes as the Mountaineers pushed its lead to as many as eight at 36-28 with less than a minute to go. Holding for the final shot, Nowell converted a three-pointer in the waning seconds, pulling the Trojans to within five at the half at 36-31.
Turnovers once again game back to bite Little Rock in the second half, helping allow Appalachian State to extend its advantage to 10 at 50-40 with just over 14 minutes to play with the Mountaineers holding an 18-2 edge in points off turnovers.
A four-point play from Tucker brought Little Rock back to within six at 50-44, and a basket by Bankston pulled the Trojans to within four at 52-48 at the midway point of the second half. But Appalachian State once again took advantage of Trojan miscues, pushing the lead back to 10 at 60-50 with just under eight minutes to play.
The lead extended to 12 at 67-55 with just under five minutes to play, before the Trojans began one final rally. Three baskets by Burns sandwiched a pair of free throws from Nowell and a Mountaineer free throw pulled the Trojans to within five at 68-63 with three minutes remaining.
A three from Nowell and a forced turnover led to Johnson hitting one of two free throws, making it a one possession game at 70-67 with 1:57 to go. But the Mountaineers made key shots down the stretch, pulling away to hand the Trojans the four-point defeat.
The loss drops Little Rock to 7-14 on the year and 2-6 in Sun Belt Conference play while the Mountaineers improve to 6-14 and notch their first conference victory of the year, improving to 1-6. It also marks the fourth win by Appalachian State over Little Rock in the last calendar year, evening the all-time series at 6-6.
Little Rock will try to snap its four game losing skid next week, and to do so, they'll have to do it against the rival Red Wolves. Arkansas State heads to Little Rock for its yearly trip to the Jack, tipping off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 2, following the women's game at 3 p.m.
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