Trojans Fall to Chanticleers

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Teal Battle led all players with 17 points but Little Rock as a team shot just 38.3 percent from the field and failed to stop a potent Coastal Carolina offense in a 68-48 loss Wednesday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
 
The home conference loss, Little Rock's first in 39 tries and over four years, came as the Chanticleers (14-2, 4-1 Sun Belt) recorded a 13-rebound advantage over the homestanding Trojans (5-11, 3-2).
 
Battle's steadily-growing consistency was one of the few bright spots for the Trojans as she reached double figures in scoring for the eighth time in nine outings and nearly recorded her second career double-double, grabbing seven rebounds. Only Krystan Vornes' eight rebounds surpassed Battle's.
 
With just a four-point deficit at halftime, it was a decisive third quarter that kept Little Rock from extending its streak as Coastal out-scored the Trojans, 22-9, and held Little Rock to just 26.7 percent from the floor during the period. Meanwhile CCU hit 8 of 12 shots (66.7 percent) in the frame and had a 10-5 rebounding advantage.
 
"The third quarter seems to be our nemesis right now," Little Rock Head Coach Joe Foley said. "We haven't played a good third quarter. They did the same thing - they took it to us inside and we didn't do what we needed to against them."
 
That left Little Rock trailing 52-35 and making a comeback that was challenging at best become impossible with fourth quarter play that didn't show much improvement.
 
A large chunk of Coastal Carolina's offensive onslaught came in the paint where the Chants scored 36 points (to Little Rock's 22) in addition to their large rebounding advantage.
 
Coastal Carolina, which had never previously beaten Little Rock in the five prior meetings, was led by Torri Cash's 16 points while Aja Blount added 14. Naheria Hamilton led all players with 12 rebounds.
 
Little Rock wraps up its four-game homestand Saturday when the Trojans host Arkansas State at 2 p.m. Little Rock will honor the last 20 years of its program since being reborn starting with the 1999-2000 season by recognizing its 20^th Anniversary Team during the game.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Basketball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockWBB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
#LittleRocksTeam