LOUISVILLE, Ky. – An extended scoring drought from Little Rock turned an 11-point lead into a 15-point deficit early in the second half as the Trojans couldn't complete the comeback against defensive-minded UNC Greensboro, falling to the Spartans 77-70 at the KFC Yum! Center.
Game Notes
• The story of the game was a 34-8 run by UNC Greensboro, starting at the 6:33 mark of the first half with Little Rock holding a 24-13 lead and capping at the 15:55 mark of the second half when the Spartans held a 47-32 lead on the Trojans.
• The European connection of
Nikola Maric and
Marko Lukic paced the Trojans offensively on the night as the duo combined for 40 of Little Rock's 70 points. Maric was a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the free throw line, finishing with 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half.
• Lukic was a spark off the bench, finishing with 19 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. 13 of his 19 points came in the second half as he added four assists and three rebounds.
•
Markquis Nowell finished with 10 points with six assists and three steals, but still struggled from the floor, hitting just four of his 14 shots, fouling out with five minutes to go.
•
Ruot Monyyong was held in check all night by the Spartan defense, finishing with just four point and three rebounds – the lowest combined total of his Trojan career.
•
Kris Bankston added six points off the bench for Little Rock while
Isaiah Palermo and
Ben Coupet Jr. finished with five points each. Coupet was the leading rebounder for the Trojans, finishing with six.
• UNC Greensboro's full court press caused issues for Little Rock all night as the Trojans committed 20 turnovers, leading to 21 Spartan points. Little Rock was also outrebounded 39-24, including an 18-6 advantage for UNCG on the offensive glass.
First Half Notes
• Defense was the name of the game in the early going as the Trojans and Spartans combined for five turnovers over the opening four minutes. Nowell found his shooting touch early on, making his first two shots to help the Trojans to an early 9-5 lead.
• Little Rock's defense frustrated UNC Greensboro's offensive attack over a seven minute stretch, using a 12-2 run to extend its lead to 18-7 at the midway point of the opening half. Four different Trojans scored during the run, sparked by the five from Nowell.
• Little Rock's three-point touch came through in the first half as back-to-back threes from Nowell and Lukic helped the Trojans halt a 6-0 run from the Spartans and up their lead back to 11 at 24-13 at the 6:51 mark.
• The Trojan three-point attack was on point in the opening 15 minutes as Little Rock hit four of its first four six while forcing 10 Spartan turnover. But foul shooting by UNC Greensboro kept Little Rock from extending its lead, trimming the lead to 26-22 with just under four minutes to go in the half.
• Little Rock held a 28-22 lead with 3:44 remaining in the half, but UNC Greensboro's full court press frustrated the Trojans as they were outscored 14-2 down the stretch, taking a 36-30 lead into the break, aided by a three-pointer at the buzzer to cap an 11-point burst over the final 2:45.
• Little Rock shot 44.4% from the floor in the opening half and were 4-for-6 from the three-point line. But unlike Wednesday's games, they shot just three free throws to UNC Greensboro's 14.
• Nowell led the Trojans with eight points on 3-of-8 shooting while Lukic added six points, hitting a pair of big threes off the bench.
Second Half Notes
• UNC Greensboro's scoring streak continued early in the second half, scoring the first seven points to extend its lead to 43-30 at the 17:21 mark before a layup from Lukic. The Spartans scored 18 unanswered points and outscored the Trojans 20-2 since Little Rock took the 28-22 lead near the end of the first.
• Trailing 47-32, Little Rock started to chip away at the Spartan lead, putting together a 9-2 run of its own over the ensuing three minutes. Five-straight points from Maric, followed by a jumper from Nowell and another from Lukic trimmed the deficit to 49-41.
• Little Rock continued to use its free throw shooting to keep in the game as Lukic and Bankston combined to hit six-straight over a minute-long stretch, pulling to within five at 52-47 at the midway point of the second half.
• Maric continued to anchor Little Rock down the stretch of the second half, scoring six-straight points to help bring the Trojans to within three at 58-55 with 5:11 remaining. He finished with 19 points in the second half while Lukic added 13.
• Little Rock was able to get to within one possession three times in the final five minutes but were unable to make the stops when they needed. Trailing by four at 66-62 with 2:30 to go, the Trojans were outscored 11-8 down the stretch to thwart the Little Rock comeback.
• The Trojans were efficient from the floor over the final 20 minutes, shooting 12-of-21 (57.1%) but were just 1-for-5 from three-point range. Free throw shooting continued to be a strength as Little Rock was 15-of-18 in the second half, including 9-of-10 for Lukic.
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