| GAME 15 | UT ARLINGTON |
| Date |
Saturday, January 4 |
| Time |
2 p.m. |
| Location |
Little Rock, Ark. |
| Arena |
Jack Stephens Center |
| Records |
Little Rock (9-5, 3-0 SBC)
UT Arlington (5-9, 1-2 SBC) |
| Watch |
ESPN+ |
| Listen |
The Point 94.1 FM |
| Live Stats |
TrojanStats.com |
| Notes |
Little Rock | UT Arlington |
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock looks to build on its four game winning streak when the Trojans welcome UT Arlington to the Jack Stephens Center Saturday to continue the home stand. Opening tip against the Mavericks is at 2 p.m. with the game streaming live on ESPN+, called by Ben Creighton and Steve Shields.
"Thursday's game was a dog fight (against Texas State), and Saturday's game won't be any different," said head coach
Darrell Walker. "(UT Arlington's) record is deceiving because they've played some very good basketball teams in the non-conference, giving number one Gonzaga all they could handle. They are a very tough and sound team fundamentally and we'll have our work cut out for us once again."
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock and UT Arlington meet for the 12th time with the Mavericks holding a 6-5 series lead. The teams split the season series in 2018-19 as Little Rock has defeated the Mavericks the last three times in the Jack Stephens Center.
• The Trojans are 5-1 on their home court in 2019-20, its best start through the first six games since going a perfect 14-0 in 2015-16.
• Little Rock has opened the year 3-0 in Sun Belt Conference play, its best start since winning its first five league games in the 2015-16 season.
• The Trojans continue a challenging stretch playing four of their first five games of 2020 at the Jack Stephens Center. Those four games are against the projected top four teams in the preseason Sun Belt Conference standings - Texas State (4th), UT Arlington (2nd), Georgia Southern (3rd) and South Alabama (1st).
•
Ruot Monyyong leads the Sun Belt Conference with six double-doubles on the year, notching 17 rebounds against Texas State - the most for a Trojan since Rashad Jones-Jennings pulled down 24 against ULM on February 3, 2007.
• Thursday's game marked the third-straight game Little Rock has rallied from a double digit deficit to get the win. The Trojans trailed ULM by 10, Louisiana by 14 and Texas State by 15. It was the fourth time this season the Trojans have accomplished the feat.
• Little Rock has held 12 of their first 14 opponents under their season scoring average, ranking fourth in the Sun Belt in scoring defense at 65.4 points per game.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
2019-20: 5-9 overall, 1-2 Sun Belt Conference
Last Three Games: W at Arkansas State (73-52); L at Georgia Southern (77-74); L at Georgia State (83-77)
Head Coach: Chris Ogden (Texas, 2004). 2nd season at UTA and overall (22-25)
Key Players:
• #4 David Azore (So., G): 14.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg., 3.7 apg.
• #0 Brian Warren (Sr., G): 13.7 ppg., 2.9 rpg., 3.9 apg.
• #13 Jabari Narcis (Sr., F): 8.2 ppg., 7.1 rpg., 44.9 FG%
• #2 Jordan Phillips (So., F): 6.9 ppg., 3.4 rpg., 36.8 FG%
• #1 Sam Griffin (Fr., G): 6.9 ppg., 1.2 rpg., 39.6 FG%
LAST WE MET
Little Rock outlasted UT Arlington in a defensive slugfest, defeating the Mavericks 56-52 at the Jack Stephens Center on Feb. 14, 2019. Five Trojans finished in double figures, led by 11 points from
Kris Bankston, as the Trojans held the Mavericks to just 32.2% shooting.
ATOP THE SUN BELT
A handful of Trojans rank among the Sun Belt leaders in a number of statistical categories heading into the 2020 calendar year.
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DOUBLE-DOUBLE MONYYONG...
Ruot Monyyong continues to sit atop the Sun Belt leaders in double-doubles, notching his sixth of the year in the win over Texas State Thursday. Monyyong finished with a career-high 17 rebounds with 14 points as he had reached the double-double by halftime for the second time this season. The 17 boards by Monyyong is the most for a Trojan since Rashad Jones-Jennings pulled down 24 against ULM on February 3, 2007.
...AND JOHNSON
Kamani Johnson registered his third double-double of the year Thursday, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Texas State. Johnson scored nine in the second half to help Little Rock rally, including going 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Johnson is shooting 77.8% from the charity stripe, ranking second on the team, which is an incredible improvement from his freshman year when he was just a 50.8% free throw shooter.
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 (9.4 rpg) and Johnson (7.2 rpg) rank first and fourth, respectively, in the Sun Belt in rebounding average with Monyyong leading the conference in defensive rebounds (7.1) and Johnson sitting second in offensive rebounds (2.7).Â
BIG SECOND HALF FOR COUPET
Ben Coupet Jr. was a key component of Little Rock's second half rally against Texas State, scoring 11 of his 15 points in the final 20 minutes to help pace the Trojans to the victory. Coupet has scored in double digits in 11 of his 14 games in Little Rock, ranking second on the team averaging 12.4 points per game.
LOTTIE IN THE CLUTCH
Jaizec Lottie again was one of the unsung heroes of Little Rock's victory over Texas State Thursday, helping spark the second half comeback. Lottie played 18:24 in the second half, scoring eight of his 10 points while going 2-for-2 from the floor with a pair of rebounds. Lottie also knocked down four free throws in the final four minutes, including two with 18 seconds left to seal it.
CARDIAC TROJANS STRIKE AGAIN
Little Rock's win over Texas State marked the third game in a row the Trojans have rallied from a double digit deficit to earn the victory. The Trojans trailed by 10 at ULM, by 14 at Louisiana and by 15 against Texas State, rallying to win each of those games. It was the fourth time the Trojans have accomplished the feat this year, rallying from 11 to defeat Alcorn State, as the Trojans are 4-2 in games decided by five points or less in 2019-20.
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 12 of their first 14 opponents under their season scoring average, holding four opponents to 19 or more points below what they typically score. Little Rock held Texas State to 68 points as the Bobcats averaged 73.8 entering Thursday's game.
HEAD OF THE TROJANS
In his second season as a Trojan, Markquis Nowell has already made his mark on the program, leading the current roster with 543 career points. Second on that list is Jaizec Lottie with 467 career points as he is the current Trojan leader in both games (68) and minutes (1,841) played.
SECOND HALF SURGE
Little Rock has played its best basketball in the second half of games this season, outscoring the opposition 539-447 for a +92 point differential. The first half has been a challenge for the Trojans who have a -51 point differential, being outscored 468-417 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 244-235 (.509) 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.
HOME SWEET HOME
The 2019-20 season marks Little Rock's 15th at the Jack Stephens Center since the facility opened in 2005, as the Trojans have posted an overall record of 136-79 (.633) at the Jack. Little Rock is 5-1 at home this year, its best start at the Jack since the 15-0 2015-16 season.
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