Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

LAFAYETTE, La. – "Laissez les bons temps rouler" is a Cajun French phrase meaning "Let the good times roll." For Little Rock on Saturday in Lafayette, they absolutely did.
 
The Trojans (9-11, 7-2 Sun Belt) hit their first 10 shots of the game, shot nearly 92 percent in the first quarter and had three players in double figures in a commanding 59-44 win at Louisiana (13-7, 6-3).
 
Alayzha Knapp was the initial spark as her 6-for-6 performance in the first quarter alone led her to score a career-high 21 points. Teal Battle added 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds, nearly missing out on her third career double-double while Tori Lasker scored 13 points behind a trio of 3-pointers.
 
Other players fed off Knapp's spark as Little Rock shot a single quarter record of 91.7 percent in the opening frame, going 11-for-12 from the field. Knapp already had reached double figures by the time the first horn sounded and Laser was a basket away from double figures herself.
 
The game wasn't over after one quarter of play, however. Louisiana shot a respectable 46.7 percent in the frame and were within nine points at the first break. It would come down to a strong second half start before the Trojans truly put the game away.
 
That strong second half start – the elusive post-intermission run that has evaded Little Rock most of this year, was found quickly in the third quarter and it came in the form of shut down defense. Louisiana, trailing by just nine at the break, was held to just 23.1 percent shooting in the third quarter as the visiting Trojans began to pull away. By the time the fourth quarter came around, Little Rock commanded a 50-33 lead.
 
While Kyra Collier – the senior leader on this Trojan squad – was held to just five points, her impact came in several other areas. The North Little Rock, Arkansas native tied a career-high six steals, dished out four assists and grabbed six rebounds. She has now registered four or more steals in six of her last eight games and is just three swipes away from 200 career steals.
 
Louisiana was constantly in search of a solution on the floor, playing 11 of their 13 active players in the game, but never found an equalizing spark. Andrea Courmoyer led the Ragin' Cajuns with nine points while Ty'Reona Doucet, a junior averaging 13 ppg, was held to just seven point in a 3-for-10 shooting performance. The Ragin' Cajuns suffered just their second home loss of the season.
 
The win, the 798^th career win for Trojans head coach Joe Foley, puts Little Rock in a tie with Coastal Carolina (17-3, 7-2) for second place in the league, just a game behind Troy (17-3, 8-1) as the Sun Belt hits its midway point in the conference schedule.
 
The Trojans continue their three-game road swing next week with games at Georgia Southern (Thursday, Feb. 6) and at Georgia State (Saturday, Feb. 8).
 
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.
 
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