LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock closes out the 2019 calendar year with its yearly trip to the Bayou, taking on Louisiana Saturday. Opening tip against the Ragin' Cajuns will be at 7 p.m. from the Cajundome, streaming live on ESPN+.
"Last night's win was great for our guys and it was nice to get some national exposure for our program, but now its time to turn our attention to Louisiana," said head coach Darrell Walker. "This is a solid team that is always near the top of the Sun Belt and they play in one of the hardest arenas to win in. This will be a big challenge for us before we hit the break."
GAME STORYLINES
• Louisiana holds a 31-22 lead over Little Rock in the all-time series and has won six of the last seven against the Trojans. Little Rock's lone win during that span was also the last time the Trojans won in the Cajundome, a 72-61 overtime stunner on March 3, 2018.
• Thursday's win in Monroe marked the first time Little Rock had won its Sun Belt opener since the 2016-17 season, a 79-75 overtime victory against the Warhawks on December 32, 2016.Â
• The last time the Trojans have won in both Monroe and Lafayette in the same season was in 2009, defeating the Ragin' Cajuns 62-46 on January 15 and toppling the Warhawks 70-61 on February 14.
• Markquis Nowell's 33-point performance against ULM is the most for a Trojan since Rayjon Tucker's 36 points at Louisiana on January 5, 2019. It was one point off his career-high 34, set in his collegiate debut against Southwest Oklahoma State on November 8, 2018.
• The shot from Nowell to defeat the Warhawks gained national attention, featured on Scott Van Pelt's "Best Thing I Saw Today" while reaching the number six play on SportsCenter's Top-10. He remains the Sun Belt's leading scorer at 20.9 points per game, scoring 20 or more points in eight games this season.
• The 10-point deficit Little Rock overcame to defeat ULM was its second-largest of the year behind an 11-point comeback in the win over Alcorn State on November 27.
• 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 RAGIN' CAJUNS
2019-20: 5-6 overall, 0-1 Sun Belt Conference
Last Three Games: L at Arkansas State (79-67); L at Louisiana Tech (77-59); L at Arizona State (77-65)
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981). 10th season at LouisianaLÂ (179-129); 27th season overall (527-296)
Key Players:
• #1 Jalen Johnson (Jr., F): 15.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 82.0 FT%
• #0 Cedric Russell (Jr., G): 14.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 37.9 3FG%
• #4 Kobe Julien (R-Fr., F): 12.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 74.4 FT%
• #13 Mylik Wilson (Fr., G): 9.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 40.9 3FG%
• #34 Dou Gueye (Jr., F): 8.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 73.3 FT%
LAST WE MET
Playing for its postseason lives, Little Rock rallied from a 10-point first half deficit to build a 12-point advantage in the second half on March 7 at the Jack Stephens Center. But a final Ragin' Cajun surge over the final eight minutes was too much for the Trojans to weather as Little Rock dropped a 77-72 heartbreaker. Nikola Maric led the Trojans with 24 points who shot 49.1% from the floor but committed 20 turnovers.
DOING IT ALL
Markquis Nowell has been the face of the Trojan program early in the season, leading the team in scoring (20.9), free throw percentage (87.0%), three point percentage (40.9%), assists (4.6), steals (2.9) and minutes (38.1) while ranking fourth in both field goal percentage (48.0%) and rebounds (4.0). The two-time Sun Belt Player of the Week has scored 20 or more points in eight of the Trojans' first 12 games, setting a season-high and one off his career best with his 33-point outburst in the win over ULM Thursday.
NATIONAL PRAISE
Markquis Nowell's performance on the year has him among the national leaders in a number of categories, ranking fourth in the NCAA in both minutes played (38:03) and total steals (35), sixth in total minutes (456:40), eighth in steals per game (2.92) and ninth in total points (251). He ranks in the top 100 in 19 statistical category and is 24th nationally in points per game at 20.9.
LOTTIE IN THE CLUTCH
While Markquis Nowell got a the lion share of publicity in the win Thursday night, Jaizec Lottie may have been the unsung hero for the Trojans in the win. Lottie had a team-high five assists, including a pair in the final minute (both of which were off Nowell's threes) while hitting three of four free throws and a critical jump ball in the waning seconds which gave the possession back to the Trojans.
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 (8.5 rpg) and Johnson (7.0 rpg) rank second and fifth, respectively, in the Sun Belt in rebounding average with the duo ranking second in the league in both offensive (Johnson at 2.8) and defensive (Monyyong at 6.3) rebounds.Â
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 10 of their first 12 opponents under their season scoring average, holding four opponents to 19 or more points below what they typically score. The only two teams to surpass their season average against the Trojans were North Texas (76 pts, 63.6 avg) and ULM (72 pts, 65.3 avg).
IMPROVEMENT FROM THE ARC
Three point shooting has been an area of improvement over the last few weeks for Little Rock as the Trojans have made 50% of their attempts in the last two games, going 7-of-14 against Tennessee State and 12-of-24 against ULM. Little Rock has improved by nearly 150 spots in the national rankings over the last two weeks, sitting at 175th nationally for three point percentage (33.3%) after hovering around 320 two weeks ago.
BREAKING 500
With his 33-point outburst at ULM Thursday night, Markquis Nowell eclipsed the 500-point mark for his career. He leads the 2019-20 roster in points scored at 529 while ranking second in minutes and third in games played. Jaizec Lottie is the most experienced Trojan on the roster, playing 1,781 minutes in 66 games, and needs 45 points to join Nowell in the 500-point club.
COMING UP CLUTCH
Thursday's win was the second time this season the Trojans have hit a game-winning shot with less than five seconds remaining, the first of which came on Ruot Monyyong's jumper with 2.3 seconds left to defeat Missouri State 67-66 in the season opener on November 5. The Trojans faced a 10-point deficit with 5:44 to play, marking the second time this year Little Rock has rallied from double digits to win. The Trojans trailed Alcorn State by 11 in the first half on Nov. 27 before winning 67-50.
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 242-235 (.507) 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.
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