MONROE, La. – After trailing by 10 in the second half, Little Rock rallied back to get to within two with 11.6 seconds left, then a long three from
Markquis Nowell with three seconds left sealed a thrilling 73-72 victory for Little Rock at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
"I'm proud of my team for responding late, although I'm disappointed for how we played for 10 minutes in the second half," said head coach
Darrell Walker. "We looked good at times, and looked really bad at times, but at the end of the day, it's a road win in a tough place to play, and I'm glad to start the season this way."
Game Notes
•
Markquis Nowell finished with 33 points tonight, one off his career high, including a trio of three pointers in the final minute. Nowell finished 11-of-21 from the floor and 8-of-14 from three point range with five assists and three steals.
• After leading by 10 at the half, Little Rock found itself down by 10 in the second half before using a 13-5 run over the final three and a half minutes.
• For the game, Little Rock shot 48.9 percent from the floor and 50% from three point range, knocking down a season-high 12 threes.
• All eight players that stepped on the court scored for the Trojans, including seven points each for
Ruot Monyyong,
Jovan Stulic and
Jaizec Lottie.
Kamani Johnson and
Ben Coupet Jr.
• Lottie dished out a team-high five assists on the night, including a pair in the final 35 seconds on the three-pointers from Nowell. He went 5-of-6 from the free throw line with a pair of steals as well.
• Little Rock snaps a three game losing skid to ULM and improves to 19-17 all-time against the Warhawks. It is the Trojans' first win at Fant-Ewing Coliseum since 2013.
First Half Notes
• Little Rock built an early 8-3 lead behind threes from Nowell and Coupet. ULM then used a 7-1 run to take a 10-9 lead with all seven points during that run scored by the Warhawks' Ertel.
• Both teams found their offensive touch early in the first half as during a four minute stretch, Little Rock made six of seven attempts while ULM made five of seven. A jumper from Nowell near the free throw line tied the game at 15-15 near the midway point of the first half.
• Foul trouble became a factor early in the first half for Little Rock with
Kamani Johnson picking up three fouls early while
Ben Coupet Jr. and
Admir Besovic both picked up two within the first 12 minutes.
• Little Rock and ULM combined for eight ties and four lead changes through the first 15 minutes. A 9-0 run for the Trojans helped them build a 28-20 lead at the 4:32 mark, aided by a three and a steal from Nowell. Another three from Nowell pushed the run to 12-2, building the largest lead of the first half at 31-22 with 3:23 remaining.
• The Trojans closed out the half on a 17-6 run over the final 8:20, taking a 36-26 lead into intermission. Nowell registered 15 points in the first 20 minutes as seven of eight Trojans that played scored points.
• Little Rock finished the first half shooting 52.2% from the floor and 50.0% from three-point range. The Trojans also knocked down six of eight free throw attempts while limiting the Warhawks to just 45.8% shooting.
Second Half Notes
• ULM came out firing out of the half, outscoring the Trojans 10-2 in the opening three minutes, wiping the Trojan lead down to two at 38-36 before a three from Nowell ended the streak and pushing the lead back to five at 41-36 with 16:24 remaining.
• The Warhawk run extended to 15-5, tying the game at 41-41 before a two-for-one possession for the Trojans helped Little Rock push its lead back to 46-41 off a three from Stulic and a layup in the paint from Johnson.
• After the 46-41 lead, ULM used a 12-3 run to take its first lead since the first half at 53-49. The Warhawks made 10 of their first 14 shots in the opening 10 minutes while the Trojans were just 5-of-15 during that span, missing seven-straight shots.
• Little Rock's cold shooting continued down the stretch as the Trojans went over seven minutes without a field goal, missing eight-straight during that span, and watching ULM make 5-of-7 from three point range to extend their deficit to 62-52 with 5:30 remaining.
• Facing a 10-point deficit, Little Rock chipped away at the lead, pulling to within four at 67-63 with 2:22 remaining when Johnson hit one of two free throws.
• Trailing 69-63, Nowell connected on a three pointer on an inbound pass with 36.5 remaining, pulling to within three at 69-66. After two free throws for ULM, Nowell connected on another three with 22.7 remaining, giving him 30 for the game and getting the Trojans to within two at 71-69. Both teams then exchanged free throws, making the score 72-70
• After missing the second of his two free throws, Lottie was able to force a jump ball on the rebound, giving the Trojans the ball with 11.6 seconds left. After holding the inbound, Nowell hit the game-winner well beyond the three-point line, giving the Trojans the come-from-behind victory.
• Little Rock held ULM without a basket for the final 5:08, outscoring the Warhawks 13-5 over the final three and a half minutes.
Up Next
• Little Rock's season-opening Sun Belt road swing continues south Saturday when the Trojans battle the Ragin' Cajuns. Opening tip from the Cajundome in Lafayette is set for 7 p.m. and will steam on ESPN+.
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