JONESBORO, Ark. – Arkansas State pulled away in the second half after a gridlocked opening 25 minutes, handing Little Rock a 72-65 loss at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro.
The win gives the Red Wolves the season sweep against the Trojans and drops Little Rock to 10-17 on the year and 5-9 in Sun Belt Conference play, ending Little Rock's road winning streak.
Rayjon Tucker once again paced Little Rock, registering his sixth double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds, complemented by 16 points from
Nikola Maric on 8-of-12 shooting.
But no other Trojans were able to finish in double figures, as
Markquis Nowell nearly joined the duo with nine points and three rebounds but just a pair of assists as Little Rock finished with eight helpers on the night, tied for its lowest of the season.
As a team, Little Rock shot 41.8 percent from the floor, missing a handful down the stretch in key moments. The Trojans were efficient from the line, making 14 of their 19 free throw attempts, but foul trouble proved costly as three different players fouled out while sending the Red Wolves to the line 37 times, nearly twice as many.
Turnovers also proved costly on the evening with Little Rock committing 16 turnovers, including eight through the first nine minutes of the second half to help allow the Red Wolves to pull away.
While the first meeting between the two was a game of dramatic runs, the second installment of the rivalry series was much balanced through the opening 20 minutes as neither team was able to build more than a five-point lead at any point.
Little Rock was the first to reach the five-point advantage, using a quick strike to open a 10-5 lead on the Red Wolves through the opening four minutes. But that lead evaporated quickly as Arkansas State used a 12-2 run over the next four and a half minutes, building a five-point cushion of its own at 17-12 with 11 minutes remaining.
Little Rock rattled off five-straight of its own, tying the game at 17-17, eventually reclaiming the lead at 21-19 off four free throws from Johnson and Nowell. Arkansas State would respond again, extending the lead back to the familiar five once again at 29-24, before taking a 34-31 lead into the half.
Arkansas State broke through the five-point barrier early in the second half, extending its lead to six at 39-33 at the 16:48 mark, only to see Little Rock climb back to within two at 39-37 two minutes later. However, it sparked an extended Red Wolves run, its largest of the day, as Arkansas State opened up a nine-point lead at 46-37 with 12:21 to go.
Trailing by nine at 50-41, Little Rock used back-to-back threes from Nowell and Tucker, sandwiching an Arkansas State turnover, getting back to within three at 50-47 at the midway point of the second half. But the Red Wolves wore the Trojans down over the final 10 minutes, leading by as many as 13 at 64-51, claiming the season series with the 72-65 victory.
With two weekends remaining in the regular season, Little Rock hits the challenging stretch run where it faces four of the league's top six teams, including a pair on the road. Up next is a trip to face the Georgia schools, beginning Thursday, February 28, with a showdown against Georgia Southern in Statesboro.
#LittleRocksTeam
