Third Quarter Domination Propels Trojans to Win

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Little Rock held Central Arkansas scoreless for over five minutes in the third quarter and was paced by Kyra Collier's double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 63-48 win over UCA Saturday afternoon at the Jack Stephens Center.
 
The victory gives the Trojans four points in the Governor's I-40 Showdown presented by Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield. Little Rock barely trails UCA, 11.5 to 10.5, in the annual all-sports rivalry.
 
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Collier stole the show in a much-anticipated match-up of two teams that are 30 miles apart but haven't met on the hardwood in over 30 years. Little Rock (1-4) claimed its first win of the young season by shutting down the Sugar Bears (1-2) in the third quarter with a 16-0 run that lasted over five minutes.
 
The senior leader for the Trojans not only posted double figures in both points (18) and rebounds (10), she also added seven assists, two steals and a blocked shot while playing all 40 minutes.
 
But she was far from the only impact player on the Trojan roster. Alayzha Knapp, reaching double figures for the first time in her young career, added 15 points and two blocks while Teal Battle and Krystan Vornes both scored 11 points, marking a new career-high for Vornes. Sydney Chastain, making her second start of the season, also played 40 minutes and contributed six points and seven rebounds in the win.
 
The dominant third quarter – where Little Rock out-scored Central Arkansas, 20-4 – was necessary after coming out of the half trailing 31-30. That deficit at the intermission was due to a sluggish second quarter where the Trojan defense allowed UCA to shoot over 53 percent from the floor.
 
Little Rock controlled the pace of play throughout most of the game and used both speed and ball control to maintain its handle on the game. The Trojans would force 15 turnovers and have a 16-4 advantage in fast break points.
 
Central Arkansas was led by Hannah Langhi's 11 points while Terri Crawford grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
 
The Trojans hit the road next week for a pair of games against two former Sun Belt Conference foes. Little Rock plays at Florida Atlantic on Thursday, Nov. 21 before playing at Western Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 24.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Basketball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockWBB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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