LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock begins a challenging final stretch of the season, playing three-straight games and four of its last six on the road. That run begins in Texas with a Thursday night showdown with Texas State at Strahan Arena. Opening tip against the Bobcats is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
"We're hitting probably the hardest part of our schedule as we have to face some of the Sun Belt's top teams on the road," said head coach
Darrell Walker. "We were able to take care of our business at home, which has helped put us in the position we're in. But this team isn't afraid to play on the road and we will continue to take our one-game-at-a-time mentality that we've had all season. Thursday night will be a physical defensive battle against Texas State, and we know we have a target on our back now."
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock and Texas State meet for the 16th time Thursday with the Trojans holding a 9-6 series lead. Little Rock won the first meeting between the two this season, a 72-68 win at the Jack Stephens Center to snap a four-game skid to the Bobcats. Little Rock is 3-4 all-time at Strahan Arena.
• Little Rock remains in first place in the Sun Belt entering the Texas trip at 12-2 with a three game lead on both Georgia State and Georgia Southern. The 12-2 mark is on par with the 2015-16 team for the program's best Sun Belt mark through 14 games.
• Little Rock's 18 wins this season has surpassed the program's win total from both the 2017-18 (seven wins) and 2018-19 (10 wins) seasons combined.
• The Trojans enter Thursday on a seven-game winning streak, its longest since a program-record 10-game streak to start the 2015-16 season. The seven-game Sun Belt winning streak ties the program record with both the 1994-95 and 1995-96 teams.
•
Markquis Nowell enters Thursday's game having made 27-straight free throws, dating back to the Georgia Southern game on January 6. He leads the Sun Belt in free throw percentage at 90.5%. He has scored 20 or more points 11 times this season as the Trojans are 9-2 in those games.
•
Ruot Monyyong has registered 14 double-doubles on the year, leading the Sun Belt Conference and ranking sixth nationally. He has scored in double figures a team-best 19 times this season with 16 double-digit rebounding performances.
• Little Rock has moved up to 14th in the College Insider.com Mid-Major poll, up five spots from number 19 last week. The Trojans are ranked 83rd in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, 127 in the latest KenPom ratings and 137 in the NCAA NET standings.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
2019-20: 15-10 overall, 8-6 Sun Belt (T-4th)
Last Three Games: L at Appalachian State (60-57); W at Coastal Carolina (100-63); W vs. Louisiana (71-66)
Head Coach: Danny Kaspar (North Texas, 1978. Seventh season at Texas State (113-108); 27th season overall (578-301)
Key Players:
• #22 Nijal Pearson (Sr., G): 19.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 39.2 3FG%
• #12 Mason Harrell (So., G): 9.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 41.2 3FG%
• #1 Isiah Small (Jr., F): 8.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 53.4 FG%
• #25 Alonzo Sule (So., F): 7.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 54.6 FG%
• #45 Eric Terry (Sr., F): 7.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 49.6 FG%
LAST WE MET
Behind double-doubles from both Ruot Monyyong and Kamani Johnson, Little Rock once again erased a double digit second half deficit to knock off Texas State in a thrilling 72-68 victory Jan. 2 at the Jack Stephens Center. Little Rock trailed by 13 in the second half but shot 68.2% over the final 20 minutes to rally.Â
CARDIAC TROJANS STRIKE AGAIN
Little Rock's 90-87 win over Arkansas State was another nail-biter as the Trojans improved their record in games decided by five points or less to 7-2 in 2019-20. Six of Little Rock's 12 conference wins have come by six points or less, including five-straight to start the conference slate.
DOMINATING SECOND HALF
Since Little Rock's loss to South Alabama on January 11, the Trojans have been dominant in the second half. In the last seven games, Little Rock has taken a lead into halftime in each and has led for 137:30 of the 140 possible minutes. They have trailed just once - for 1:29 at South Alabama - while being tied twice (against the Jaguars and against Arkansas State).
OFFENSIVE SURGE
Little Rock scored 90 or more points for the third-straight game Saturday in the 90-87 win over Arkansas State. It marks the first time the Trojans have surpassed the 90-point mark in three consecutive games since wins over Abilene Christian (111-87), Grambling State (99-77) and Centenary (101-69) December 3, 6 and 10,1994, under head coach Wimp Sanderson.
NATIONAL PRAISE
A pair of Trojans find themselves among the national leaders heading into Thursday's game against Texas State. Ruot Monyyong currently sits sixth in both defensive rebounds (8.08) and double-doubles (14), 16th in total rebounds (256), 21st in rebounds per game (10.2) and 25th in total blocks (54). Markquis Nowell is 11th nationally in free throw percentage (90.5%), 19th in steals per game (2.27) and 26th in total steals (50).
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MONYYONG
Making a strong case for Sun Belt Newcomer and Defensive Player of the Year, Ruot Monyyong ranks in the top-30 nationally in five statistical categories. He ranks sixth nationally in double-doubles and has posted double digit rebounding totals in 16 games while scoring in double figures 19 times, leading the league in both rebounds and blocks.
HEART OVER HEIGHT
Markquis Nowell finished with 24 points in the win over Arkansas State, marking the 11th time this season he has surpassed 20 points in a game. Little Rock is 9-2 in those games as he has led the team in scoring a team-best 11 times.
RUOT BLOCK PARTY
With his two blocks in the win over Arkansas State, Ruot Monyyong upped his season block total to 54, which is fourth in a single season in program history and one back of Ryan Moss' 55 in 1997-98, which would set the program's new record since becoming a Division I program.
Â
| No. |
Player |
Season |
Blocks |
| 1. |
Larry Johnson |
1974-75 |
113 |
| 2. |
Larry Johnson |
1976-77 |
82 |
| 3. |
Ryan Moss |
1997-98 |
55 |
| 4. |
Ruot Monyyong |
2019-20 |
54 |
| 5. |
Muntrelle Dobbins |
1996-97 |
52 |
EUROPEAN CONNECTION
The duo of Marko Lukic and Nikola Maric have provided a spark since their return on January 9. In the nine games they've played, the duo is averaging 19.3 points per game as both are shooting nearly 48% from the floor. Against Arkansas State, Lukic scored 17 points, including 14 in the first half, while Maric added 14 points and a season-high eight rebounds.Â
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
Little Rock is one of two teams nationally which leads its conference after being picked 11th in the respective preseason poll, joined by Merrimack who leads the Northeast Conference at 10-2 and 16-9 overall. Little Rock is one of five teams with 12 conference wins to this point in the season, joined by Louisville (ACC), Winthrop (Big South), San Diego State (Mountain West) and Stephen F. Austin (Southland).
EYES FACING WEST
Little Rock heads west looking to end a pair of extended streaks. The Trojans are seeking their first win in Texas since capturing the Lone Star Showcase in Cedar Park on November 21-23, 2016. Little Rock is 0-6 in games in the Lone Star state since then and 0-10 in games played west of Little Rock, dating back to the 72-67 win at Northern Arizona December 14, 2016.
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