LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – For the first time this season, Little Rock built itself an impressive halftime lead. Then the young team had to learn how to hold on to it.
Consider the Trojans quick learners.
Little Rock (5-10, 3-1 Sun Belt) ended the game on a 7-0 run and held Georgia State (4-11, 1-3) scoreless over the final three minutes to clinch the 66-46 victory Saturday afternoon, the program's 38
th consecutive home win in conference play.
Kyra Collier showed her young teammates the poise and focus required, scoring a game-high 23 points and dishing out a game-high six assists, one more than Georgia State as a team registered.
The Panthers shot just 33 percent from the field while Little Rock shot an impressive 56 percent (28 of 50) from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.
The halftime lead, just the second halftime lead of the season for Little Rock, was built off a dominating second quarter when Little Rock used a steal or a defensive rebound and turned that into points, going on a 9-0 to that forced a Panther timeout.
On the other side of the court, the Trojans shut down any Georgia State offensive effort, holding the Panthers to just five points on 15 percent shooting in the quarter.
Little Rock would need that halftime advantage. GSU slowly chipped away at that lead, twice cutting the deficit to seven. But the Peach State Panthers couldn't draw any closer and the Trojans claimed the 20-point win, learning a lesson in dealing with a halftime lead along the way.
"I like learning that lesson with a win a whole lot more than learning that lesson with a loss," Little Rock Head Coach
Joe Foley said.
Krystan Vornes also provided a steadying balance for the Trojans, matching a career-high 13 points and also matching Collier with a team-high nine rebounds.
Alayzha Knapp added 13 points for Little Rock.
The Trojans now hold a share of first place in Sun Belt play alongside Coastal Carolina (13-2, 3-1) and four other teams. The Chanticleers visit the Jack Stephens Center next Wednesday, Jan. 15 in the next game during Little Rock's four-game homestand.
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