Trojans Open Sun Belt Play Thursday at ULM

GAME 12 | ULM
Date	Thursday, December 19
Time	7:00 p.m.
Location	Monroe, La.
Arena	Fant-Ewing Coliseum
Records	Little Rock (6-5, 0-0 SBC) ULM (4-4, 0-0 SBC)
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	The Point 94.1 FM
Live Stats	TrojanStats.com
Notes	Little Rock | ULM

LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock opens its 2019-20 Sun Belt Conference schedule in the Pelican State this week, beginning with the conference opener Thursday at ULM. Opening tip against the Warhawks is set for 7 p.m. at Fant-Ewing Coliseum with the game streamed live on ESPN+.

"We're eager to get back to competition," said head coach Darrell Walker. "We've had some productive practices over the last week and had a chance for some guys to rest up a bit. I thought we played well during the non-conference portion of our schedule and now the games start to mean a little bit more starting Thursday against a good ULM team."

GAME STORYLINES

• Thursday's game marks the beginning of Little Rock's 29th year as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, joining the league in the 1991-92 season. The Trojans are tied for the second-longest tenured team in the Sun Belt, joining the same season as Arkansas State and Louisiana. South Alabama holds the distinction as the longest Sun Belt member as a charter member in 1976.

• The Trojans head into Sun Belt play at 6-5, marking the first time since the 2016-17 season Little Rock closed out the non-conference schedule above .500.

• The Trojans and Warhawks meet the 36th time Thursday with the Trojans holding an 18-17 lead in the all-time series. ULM has won three-straight against the Trojans with Little Rock seeking its first win at Fant-Ewing Coliseum since a 70-60 victory in 2013. The Trojans are 6-11 all-time in Monroe.

• Markquis Nowell continues his frenetic scoring pace to start the season as he leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring, averaging 19.8 points per game. He also leads the league in steals (2.9) and minutes (37.9), ranking second in assists (4.5) and free throw percentage (88.0%).

• Through the first 11 games of the 2019-20 season, Little Rock has had a player post a double-double on six occasions, led by four from Ruot Monyyong (ranking first in the league). He leads the Sun Belt in rebounding (9.0) and sits atop the leaderboard in defensive rebounding, averaging 6.6 per game.

• Little Rock is ranked 148th in the first NET standings of 2019-20, the highest mark for the program since the new ranking system was unveiled last season.

NEWS AND NOTES

SCOUTING THE WARHAWKS
2019-20: 4-4 overall, 0-0 Ohio Valley Conference
Last Three Games: L at Stephen F. Austin (66-59); L vs. Grambling State (66-61); W vs. Millsaps (86-63)
Head Coach: Keith Richard (ULM, 1982). 10th season at ULM (116-178); 19th season overall (266-295)
Key Players:
• #2 Michael Ertel (Jr., G): 16.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 77.3 FT%
• #3 JD Williams (Sr., G): 16.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 40.0 FG%
• #13 Jalen Hodge (So., G): 9.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 82.4 FT%
• #5 Tyree White (Sr., F): 4.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 30.6 FG%
• #22 De'Andre Bernard (Gr., F): 4.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 45.5 FG%

LAST WE MET
A sluggish start in a game that meant nothing for Little Rock doomed the Trojans in a 79-62 loss to ULM in the 2018-19 regular season finale on March . After falling behind 8-0, Little Rock fought back to take the lead, but a 16-4 run by the Warhawks late in the first half all but put the game away. It was the final game of the season as the Trojans had been eliminated from postseason contention with their loss two days earlier against Louisiana.

DOING IT ALL
Markquis Nowell has been the face of the Trojan program early in the season, leading the team in scoring (19.8), free throw percentage (88.0%), assists (4.5), steals (2.9) and minutes (37.9) while ranking second in three point percentage (37.8%) and fourth in both field goal percentage (47.4%) and rebounds (4.1). The two-time Sun Belt Player of the Week has scored 20 or more points in seven of the Trojans' first 11 games, including his 25-point performance against Tennessee State last Tuesday.

ATOP THE SUN BELT
A handful of Trojans rank among the Sun Belt leaders in a number of statistical categories heading into league play.
 

Category	Player	Rank	No.
SCORING	Markquis Nowell	1	19.8
REBOUNDS	Ruot Monyyong	T-1	9.0
ASSISTS	Markquis Nowell	2	4.5
FREE THROW %	Markquis Nowell	2	88.0%
STEALS	Markquis Nowell	1	2.9
BLOCKS	Ruot Monyyong	3	1.8
OFF. REBOUNDS	Kamani Johnson	1	2.9
DEF. REBOUNDS	Ruot Monyyong	1	6.6
MINUTES	Markquis Nowell	1	37:52

 

IRON TROJANS
Through the first 11 games of the 2019-20 season, three Trojans are averaging more than 34 minutes per game. Markquis Nowell (37:52), Ben Coupet Jr. (35:19) and Ruot Monyyong (34:17) have been constants on the floor for Little Rock this season, ranking sixth, 49th and 90th nationally, respectively, in minutes per game this season. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROJANS
Little Rock has had a player post a double-double in six of its last seven outings, the last of which was Ruot Monyyong's 15-point, 14-rebound performance in the win over Tennessee State. Monyyong has notched four of the Trojans' six double-doubles this year, ranking first in the Sun Belt Conference, with Kamani Johnson adding the other two for Little Rock.

CONSISTENT COUPET
Ben Coupet Jr. has scored in double figures in nine of his first 11 games as a Trojan, including a career-high 21 at NC State on November 23. The Chicago, Illinois native finished with 14 points at North Texas Saturday, ranks second on the team in scoring (12.8) and is third in rebounds (6.1).

CRASHING THE BOARDS
The duo of Ruot Monyyong and Kamani Johnson have helped Little Rock establish a presence on the boards early in 2019-20. Monyyong (9.0 rpg) and Johnson (7.5 rpg) rank first and fourth, respectively, in the Sun Belt in rebounding average with Johnson leading all players in offensive rebounds per game (2.9) and Monyyong the league's defensive rebounds per game leader (6.6). 

FIVE FOR FIGHTING
Little Rock had five players finish in double figures in the 86-62 win over Tennessee State last Tuesday, a program-best for the 2019-20 season. Markquis Nowell led the way with 25, followed by Kamani Johnson tying his career-best with 17. Ruot Monyyong (15), Ben Coupet Jr. (14) and Isaiah Palermo (11) rounded out the quintet of double figure scorers.

LOCK DOWN DEFENSE
One of the key reasons for Little Rock's success in the early part of the 2019-20 season has been its defense. The Trojans have held nine of their first 10 opponents under their season scoring average, holding four opponents to 19 or more points below what they typically score. Last Tuesday, the Trojans held Tennessee State to 62 points, just shy of 15 points below its season average of 76.7 heading into the game.

CLOSING IN ON 500
With his 25 points against Tennessee State on Tuesday, Markquis Nowell continues to inch closer to reaching 500 career points in a Trojan uniform. He leads the current roster in career points with 496 and is second on the team in minutes played (1,778) while ranking third in games (36).

Trojan Leaders

Player	Games	Minutes	Points
Markquis Nowell	36	1,178	496
Jaizec Lottie	65	1,759	448
Kris Bankston	64	1,161	403
Nikola Maric	31	756	333

SECOND HALF SURGE
Little Rock has played its best basketball in the second half of games this season, outscoring the opposition 422-347 for a +75 point differential. The first half has been a challenge for the Trojans who have a -42 point differential, being outscored 362-320 in the opening 20 minutes of games.

BACK IN THE BELT
2019-20 marks Little Rock's 29th season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference as the Trojans have posted an all-time record of 241-235 (.506) in league play since joining in the 1991-92 season. Little Rock is tied for the second-longest tenured member of the league, joining with Arkansas State and Louisiana in 1991. South Alabama is the oldest Sun Belt member, joining as a charter member when the league was founded in 1976.

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