| Game 2 | ILLINOIS STATE |
| Date |
Sunday, November 10 |
| Time |
3 p.m. |
| Location |
Normal, Ill. |
| Arena |
Redbird Arena |
| Records |
Little Rock (1-0, 0-0 SBC)
Illinois State (1-0, 0-0 MVC) |
| Watch |
ESPN3 |
| Listen |
The Point 94.1 FM |
| Live Stats |
TrojanStats.com |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Illinois State |
LITTLE ROCK - After knocking off preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite Missouri State in the season opener Tuesday, Little Rock will once again face another Valley school on the road as the 2019-20 schedule gets underway. Little Rock heads to Normal, Illinois, for a meeting with Illinois State Sunday at 3 p.m. at Redbird Arena, streaming live on ESPN3.
"The win Tuesday big for us, but it was just one game," said head coach
Darrell Walker. "It gave us some confidence and some experience for the younger guys, and now we're going to face another tough road test Sunday. (Illinois State) had a big win against a tough team in Belmont in their first game and they're going to want to protect their home court. I think we match up well against them and I'm eager to see the progress our young team makes from game one to game two."
GAME STORYLINES
• The game against the Redbirds marks Little Rock's second-straight against the Missouri Valley Conference, coming off the 67-66 win at Missouri State Tuesday night.
• Both Little Rock and Illinois State are coming off big season-opening wins against preseason conference favorites. The Trojans defeated preseason MVC favorite Missouri State Tuesday while Illinois State toppled preseason Ohio Valley Conference favorite Belmont 79-72 Wednesday night in Normal.
• The Trojans and Redbirds have met twice before with each team winning on its home court. Little Rock defeated Illinois State 63-54 at the Jack Stephens Center in 2010 before the Redbirds returned the favor with a 72-65 victory in Normal in 2011.
• Three Trojans scored in double figures in the Trojans' win over Missouri State Tuesday, led by a 13-point, 8-rebound performance by
Ben Coupet Jr. in his Trojan debut.
Markquis Nowell added 12 points and eight assists while playing all 40 minutes with
Jaizec Lottie adding 10 points in the victory.
• Five different Trojans saw their first action in a Little Rock uniform Tuesday, combining for 34 of the Trojans' 67 points against the Bears. In addition to the 13 points from Coupet,
Ruot Monyyong added eight points and seven rebounds, including the game-winning basket with 2.3 seconds remaining.
• After ranking among the nation's best in field goal percentage in 2018-19, Little Rock picked up where it left off by shooting 51.9% from the floor at Missouri State. The Trojans converted 27 of their 52 shots, including 14-of-26 in the second half, and outscored Missouri State 36-22 in the paint.
NEWS AND NOTES
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Five Trojans made their Little Rock debuts Tuesday in the win over Missouri State, accounting for 34 of the Trojans' 67 points against the Bears.
Ben Coupet Jr. led the way with 13 points and added eight rebounds, leading all scorers.
Ruot Monyyong finished with nine points, followed by eight for
Alsean Evans and two each for
Isaiah Palermo and
Admir Besovic.
I AM RUOT
Ruot Monyyong had quite the Trojan debut, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds in his first game as a Trojan. Monyyong went 4-for-10 from the floor and 1-for-4 from three, but the shot he will be most remembered for was the basket just inside the three-point line with 2.3 seconds remaining, putting the Trojans on top for good at 67-66.
CONTROLLED BY NOWELL
Markquis Nowell's sophomore season began with an impressive performance against Missouri State Tuesday as the point guard played all 40 minutes against the Bears, finishing with 12 points and a game-high eight assists. Nowell added a pair of rebounds and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
BREAKING THROUGH
Little Rock's one-point win over Missouri State in the season opener was a victory that was a long time coming. It marked the first time the Trojans had won a game decided by three points or less since defeating Georgia Southern 56-54 on February 27, 2017. Since that win, the Trojans had lost its last nine games decided by one possession.
FOCUS ON THE LINE
An area of emphasis all offseason for Little Rock was improving its efficiency from the free throw line. The Trojans ranked among the bottom 10% nationally in each of the last two years, ranking 324th in 2018-19 (65.6%) and 349th in 2017-18 (61.0%). In the season opener, Little Rock made 10 of its 15 attempts from the free throw line, connecting on 66.7%.
TESTED EARLY
The first part of Little Rock's 2019-20 schedule, especially the month of November, will test the Trojans as, including the scrimmage in Fayetteville, six of Little Rock's first seven games will be on the road, competing in five different states. The Trojans open the year with back-to-back road games at Missouri State and Illinois State, then have three-straight road contests at Central Arkansas, Memphis and North Carolina State, as Little Rock will travel just shy of 4,000 miles in the month of November.
TROJANS vs. THE VALLEY
Little Rock has posted a 6-14 (.300) all-time record against current members of the Missouri Valley Conference. This is the third-straight year the Trojans have faced a member of the conference, taking on Bradley in both 2017 and 2018. Little Rock opened the season with a 67-66 win over preseason MVC favorite Missouri State Tuesday and also has notched victories over Bradley (2014), Illinois State (2010), Loyola Chicago (1988), Southern Illinois (2004) and Valparaiso (1980).
IN THE LAND OF LINCOLN
Little Rock has a limited history of action in the state of Illinois with the game against Illinois State just the 14th time the Trojans will play a game in the land of Lincoln. The Trojans are 3-10 (.231) in games played in the state of Illinois with their last victory coming in 2015 - a 66-44 victory over DePaul in Chicago.
COUPET HOMECOMING
Sunday's game will be a Homecoming of sorts for redshirt junior
Ben Coupet Jr., who is the lone player on the Trojan roster that is an Illinois native. Coupet is from Chicago, roughly two hours northeast of Normal, and was a three star recruit from Simeon Career Academy where he helped lead the Wolverines to the 2013 Illinois state title and the 2016 city championship.
WELCOME TO THE HALL, TUCK
Earlier this week, longtime Trojan broadcaster Ray Tucker was announced as a 2020 Trojan Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. Tucker has been associated with the Trojans for 35 years, including serving as the play-by-play announcer since 2000. He has hosted radio and TV coaches shows since 1984 and earned a pair of Best Play-By-Play honors from the Associated Press Broadcasters Associations for his calls of Little Rock basketball games.
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