JONESBORO, Ark. – The 91st installment of the Little Rock-Arkansas State rivalry lived up to its billing as a the Trojans wore down the Red Wolves over the final two minutes, leaving Jonesboro with an 81-78 victory. It marks Little Rock's first season sweep over its in-state rivals since the 2014-15 season, upping its record to 19-9 on the year and 13-4 in Sun Belt play.
"It was the type of game we thought it would be, and I'm proud of how my team responded in another close game," said head coach
Darrell Walker. "We got guys in foul trouble, but I'm very proud of Kamani (Johnson) and how he responded. He put us on his back tonight."
Game Notes
• Kamani Johnson put together his best game in a Trojan uniform, finishing with career-highs in points (32) and rebounds (16) while going 9-of-12 from the floor and 14-of-19 at the free throw line. It is his second 30-point performance of the year as 21 of his 32 points came in the second half.
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Markquis Nowell finished with 19 points and six assists, scoring 11 in the second half to help solidify the win. Nowell scored the final six points for the Trojans, sparking a 6-0 run to seal the win for Little Rock.
• Little Rock finished the game shooting 50% from the floor and 73% from the free throw line, making 27 of its 37 attempts. The Trojans held the Red Wolves to 40.6% shooting and 26.1% from three point range (6-of-23) as Arkansas State went 16-of-23 from the free throw line.
• In a back-and-forth battle, Little Rock and Arkansas State combined for 13 ties and 20 lead changes with the largest lead for either team seven points.
• Arkansas State held a 39-36 edge in rebounding, including a 17-8 edge on the offensive glass. The Red Wolves held a 20-9 advantage in second chance points and a slight 40-38 edge in points in the paint.
• With the win, Little Rock maintains a game and a half lead over Texas State in the Sun Belt standings with three games to play. The Trojans' magic number to clinch the regular season conference title is two while the magic number to clinch an automatic bye to the semifinals in New Orleans is one.
First Half Notes
• After an early 5-5 tie, Little Rock used a 7-0 run to jump out to an early seven point cushion at 12-5, thanks to a steal from Nowell and an and-one from Lukic. Leading 14-7, Little Rock was held without a point for a span of nearly six minutes as the Red Wolves went on an 11-1 run, taking an 18-15 lead at the 9:04 mark.
• Foul trouble began early for Little Rock as Maric and Coupet each picked up three personal fouls within the opening 10 minutes.
• A 10-3 run by the Trojans countered the Red Wolves run, highlighted by back-to-back baskets from Nowell. It flipped an 18-15 deficit to a 25-21 lead for the Trojans with 5:34 remaining in the half.
• After A-State reclaimed the lead at 26-25, Little Rock reeled off a 9-2 run, pulling in front by six at 34-28 with 1:18 remaining in the opening half. The Red Wolves closed out the final minute by outscoring the Trojans 7-3, including a foul on a three-point attempt with 1.5 seconds left, trimming the Little Rock lead to 37-35 at the break.
• Little Rock shot 46.7% in the opening 20 minutes while limiting the Red Wolves to 32.3%, but a 22-18 edge in rebounding for the Red Wolves kept it a two-point game at the half.
Second Half Notes
• Both teams came out physically in the second half and exchanged baskets, seeing the game tied 44-44 after the opening five minutes. Neither team led by more than three through the first 10 minutes of the second half.
• A monster second half for Johnson continued as he scored 10-straight for Little Rock in a three-minute span, upping the Trojan lead to 61-57 with 8:25 to play. But back-to-back and-ones from Marquis Eaton of A-State in a 20 second span turned that 61-57 Trojan lead to a 63-61 Red Wolves advantage.
• The ensuing three minutes saw Little Rock use five different players score to up its lead to three at 72-69 but eight-straight Red Wolves points for Eaton, including a pair of three pointers, evened the game at 72-72 with 4:17 to play.
• An Arkansas State layup with 1:18 remaining gave the Red Wolves a 76-75 lead, but an off-balance three from Nowell with 54 seconds remaining put Little Rock on top for good at 78-76. A block by Johnson on the ensuing possession gave the back to the Trojans and Nowell made three of his final four free throws, putting the game away for the Trojans.
• Johnson finished with 21 points in the second half with eight rebounds while Nowell added 11 over the final 20 minutes as Little Rock shot 55.0% from the frloor in the second half, making 19 of 27 free throw attempts.
Up Next
• The stretch run of the season begins next week with the final two home games as the Trojans control their own destiny for a Sun Belt title. First up is ULM on Thursday, February 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center.
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