CONWAY, Ark. – Little Rock regrouped from a sluggish first half, outscoring Central Arkansas 46-30 in the second half and holding the Bears to just 13 total field goals, earning the 76-56 win at the Farris Center Sunday afternoon.
The victory snaps a three-game skid to the rival Bears and earns the Trojans four points in the Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield Governor's I-40 Showdown.
"I thought today this team really embodied my philosophy of basketball and came up big defensively," said head coach
Darrell Walker. "We struggled offensively at times, but our defense gave us a larger margin for error. I felt that if we held them to under 65 points, we'd have a good chance to win the ball game, and I thought my team responded."
Game Notes
• Little Rock held Central Arkansas to just 13 made baskets on the afternoon as the Bears shot 25.5% from the floor (13-of-51). Half of UCA's attempts were from three-point range where they were just 8-of-25 (32.0%).
• After shooting just 29.0% in the first half, Little Rock made 17 of its 30 attempts in the second half (56.7%) to finish the game 26-of-61 (42.6%). The Trojans connected on 18 of 24 free throw attempts (75.0%) but continued to struggle from beyond the arc, making just six of 18 three pointers (33.3%).
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Markquis Nowell finished with 20 or more points for the third-straight game, scoring 25 and flirting with a triple-double, adding eight rebounds and seven assists with four steals while playing all but two seconds in the game.
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Ruot Monyyong notched the first double-double of the year for Little Rock, setting career highs with 17 points and 14 rebounds and helping lead the Trojans to a 45-35 edge on the boards against the tall UCA squad.
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Ben Coupet Jr. scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half to help the Trojans pull away, grabbing six rebounds in the process.
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Jaizec Lottie was the fourth Trojan to finish in double figures, scoring 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five rebounds.
• The 20 point victory came despite Central Arkansas tallying 10 blocks on the afternoon against the Trojans. Little Rock had just a pair of rejections, both of which came from Monyyong.
First Half Notes
• Both teams struggled from the floor through the first seven minutes of the game. Little Rock and Central Arkansas were both 1-for-9 from the floor combined for eight turnovers, combining for just seven points.
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Markquis Nowell helped spark a 9-0 run to put the Trojans on top 10-4 at the 12:45 mark, hitting a three from the corner then dishing an assist in transition to
Jaizec Lottie. Lottie notched six points through the first 10 minutes as Little Rock built a 12-9 lead.
• Little Rock built its largest lead of the game at 22-11 with just over seven minutes to go, sparked by seven points from Nowell and a pair of free throws from
Kamani Johnson. The run was aided by ice cold shooting from the Bears, who made just two of their first 21 shots (9.5%).
• A jumper from the top of the key from Nowell put the Trojans on top 30-20 with just under three minutes to go, but UCA scored the last six points, holding Little Rock scoreless for the final 2:22 to trim the halftime lead to 30-26.
• Both teams struggled from the floor in the opening 20 minutes as the Trojans hit just 29.0% (9-of-31) with the Bears at 18.5% (5-of-27). Central Arkansas dominated inside, however, blocking six Trojan shots.
Second Half Notes
• Central Arkansas came out with the hot hand to start the second half, using a 12-8 run to pull even at 38-38 with 15:42 remaining. Little Rock responded with a 7-1 run of its own, including an and-one from
Kamani Johnson, extending the lead back to six at 45-39.
• Holding a two-point lead at 46-44,
Ben Coupet Jr. started to warm up. Coupet hit a three, grabbed a defensive rebound on the opposite end, then converted another three from the wing to extend the Little Rock lead to eight at 52-44 with 8:06 remaining.
• Coupet's hot play continued as he scored 11 of 16 Trojan points over a three and a half minute span, helping Little Rock build its largest lead at 62-46 with 4:59 to play.
• Little Rock held Central Arkansas to just two points in a six minute span, using an 18-2 run to help build a comfortable 64-46 lead with 3:27 remaining. Nowell then connected on his third three of the game, then Johnson hit a pair of free throws to push the Little Rock lead to 21 at 70-49.
• When the dust settled, a 26-5 run for the Trojans spanning nearly seven minutes helped put the game away. Monyyong threw down a pair of authoritative dunks in the waning minutes to help solidify the Trojans' first victory in Conway since 2016.
Up Next
Little Rock remains on the road for arguably its toughest challenge of the season, making the trip up I-40 to Memphis to take on the 13th-ranked Tigers Wednesday evening. The game against Penny Hardaway and his Memphis Tigers will tip at 7 p.m. at the FedEx Forum and can be seen live on ESPN3.
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