LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock breaks up its home-heavy stretch with a trip to Mobile, Alabama, for a showdown with South Alabama Saturday. Opening tip against the Jaguars is set for 7 p.m. from the Mitchell Center with the game streaming on ESPN+.
"I'm proud of this team and where we are at this point, but we continue to take it one game at a time," said head coach
Darrell Walker. "Next up for us is a very tough road trip against a very good South Alabama team. There is a reason they were picked as the preseason favorites and they humbled us at home a couple weeks ago. This is a very good team that will be ready to play Saturday night and we need to continue to respond on the road."
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock and South Alabama meet for the 53rd time Saturday, making it the third-longest active series for the Trojans behind Arkansas State (89 games) and Louisiana (54 games). The Jaguars hold the 30-22 lead in the all-time series, including a 52-43 win in Little Rock on Jan. 11. The Trojans are 8-13 all-time at the Mitchell Center, winning three of the last four.
• Little Rock enters Saturday's game in sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt Conference at 8-2, holding a game and a half lead over both Georgia Southern and Georgia State. It is the program's best mark at the halfway point of the conference schedule since the 9-1 start in 2015-16.
• Little Rock has won its last three games by at least 16 points, marking the first time the program has accomplished that feat since the 2016 non-conference schedule. The Trojans won their first five Sun Belt games by a combined 17 points but its average margin of victory over the last three is 16.7.
• Little Rock's eight conference wins through the first half of the Sun Belt season is one less than the combined nine conference wins the Trojans had in both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
• Saturday's game will be a match-up of the Sun Belt's top two double-double threats. Little Rock's
Ruot Monyyong has 11 double-doubles on the year while South Alabama's Josh Ajayi has tallied seven this season.
•
Jaizec Lottie upped his career minutes played to 2,084 in 75 games as a Trojan, averaging 27.8 minutes per game for his career. He is 93 minutes shy of surpassing
Marcus Johnson Jr. (2015-17) to crack the all-time top-20 in program history.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
2019-20: 12-9 overall, 5-5 Sun Belt (6th)
Last Three Games: L at Arkansas State (75-71); W vs. Georgia Southern (74-68); L vs. Georgia State (72-63)
Head Coach: Richie Riley (Eastern Kentucky, 2005). Second season at South Alabama (29-26); Fourth season overall (64-54)
Key Players:
• #33 Josh Ajayi (Sr., F): 15.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 58.1 FG%
• #21 Chad Lott (Gr., G): 13.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 55.8 FG%
• #22 Andre Fox (Sr., G): 11.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 84.5 FT%
• #42 Trhae Mitchell (Sr., F): 9.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 44.1 FG%
• #1 Herb McGee (Sr., G): 6.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 36.1 FG%
LAST WE MET
Little Rock held a five point lead at halftime, but South Alabama outlasted the Trojans in a 52-43 defensive slugfest at the Jack Stephens Center on January 11. Little Rock shot a season-low 34.0% from the floor (16-of-47) and was 5-of-16 from three point range, committing 24 turnovers against the Jaguars.
MONYYONG MAKING A STATEMENT
Making a strong case for Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, Monyyong ranks in the top-30 nationally in six statistical categories. He is sixth in both defensive rebounds (8.14) and double-doubles (11), 13th in total rebounds (216), 22nd in rebounds per game (10.3), 25th in minutes played (712:51) and 28th in total blocks (42). He has posted double digit rebounding totals in 13 games while scoring in double figures 15 times.
SOLID LOTTIE
Jaizec Lottie has been solid in the last six games for the Trojans, filling in for the injured
Markquis Nowell. Lottie is averaging 11.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists over that span while shooting a team-best 61.5% from the floor while playing 35.2 minutes per game. Lottie is the Trojans' active leader in both games and minutes and is on the verge of cracking the all-time top-20 for minutes played.
OFF THE GLASS
The duo of
Ruot Monyyong and
Kamani Johnson have helped Little Rock establish a presence on the boards in 2019-20. Monyyong (10.3 rpg) and Johnson (6.9 rpg) rank first and fifth, respectively, in the Sun Belt in rebounding average. In Sun Belt play, Little Rock is third in rebounding offense (36.6 rpg) and is the league leader in rebounding defense (31.6 rpg), sitting second in the league in rebounding margin (+5.0).
RARE FEAT
Little Rock's 18-point win over Troy Wednesday night was the Trojans' third-straight win by at least 16 points. It is a feat that doesn't come around very often, especially in Sun Belt play.
Last time with three-straight 16+ point victories:Â 2016 - UA Monticello (81-53); Central Baptist (97-65); Ozarks (100-61)
Last time against Division I opponents:Â 2015 - DePaul (66-44); Central Arkansas (77-54); Northern Arizona (84-57)
Last time in Sun Belt play:Â 2001 - North Texas (83-66); New Orleans (81-67); Louisiana (87-68)
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 17 of their first 21 opponents under their season scoring average, holding five opponents to 20 or more points below what they typically score. Little Rock held Troy to 63 points Wednesday as the Trojans came into the game averaging 70.3.​​​​​​
NOWELL ON LOU HENSON WATCH LIST
Markquis Nowell continues to gain national attention during his sophomore season as he was recently added to the Lou Henson Player of the Year Watch List, given annually to the top Division I mid-major player. Nowell ranks third in the Sun Belt in scoring at 17.7 points per game and ranks among the top-100 nationally in 15 statistical categories.
THROWING IT DOWN
Little Rock has made a name for itself with its inside game and continues to emerge as one of the top dunking teams in the Sun Belt. The Trojans are out-dunking the opposition 69-31 on the year, registering four or more dunks in 11 games this season and averaging 4.1 slams per game in Sun Belt play. Ruot Monyyong leads the way with 43 on the year, including 26 in Sun Belt Conference play alone.
#LittleRocksTeam
