| GAME 31 | GEORGIA STATE |
| Date |
Tuesday, March 3 |
| Time |
6 p.m. CT |
| Location |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| Arena |
GSU Sports Arena |
| Records |
Little Rock (21-9, 15-4 SBC)
Georgia State (18-12, 11-8 SBC) |
| Watch |
ESPN+ |
| Listen |
The Point 94.1 FM |
| Live Stats |
TrojanStats.com |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Georgia State |
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock closes out the 2019-20 regular season with a trip to Atlanta, Georgia, for its lone meeting of the year against Georgia State. Opening tip against the Panthers is set for 6 p.m. CT from GSU Sports Arena and will stream on ESPN+.
"We're looking forward for another tough road test to close out the regular season," said head coach
Darrell Walker. "Georgia State has been the top team in the Sun Belt for the past few seasons and are very tough at home, so we're looking at this as a great challenge for our team as we head into the postseason."
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock and Georgia State meet for the 28th time as the Trojans lead the all-time series 19-8. The Panthers have won seven of the last 10, however, and has won four-straight games dating back to 2016. Little Rock is 8-4 all-time in Atlanta.
• Little Rock clinched the 2019-20 Sun Belt Conference regular season title with its win over Louisiana Saturday afternoon. It is the Trojans' third regular season Sun Belt title in program history and the first since the 2015-16 season.
• Little Rock has engineered one of the best turnarounds in the country, posting a +11 margin in wins from last season to this. After winning 10 games in 2018-19, the Trojans are at 21 in 2019-20, tied for the second-greatest improvement in the nation.
•
Ruot Monyyong continues to lead the Sun Belt Conference in rebounding (10.0), defensive rebounds (7.8), blocks (2.1) and double-doubles (16). He is averaging a double-double at 12.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
•
Markquis Nowell continues to rank among the top-three in the Sun Belt in seven statistical categories, leading the league in free throw percentage (87.7%) and three pointers per game (2.8) while ranking third in scoring (17.4).
• Little Rock leads the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (47.2%), ranking 24th nationally. The Trojans are 10th in the nation in both free throws attempted (698) and made (500) while ranking 30th nationally in assists (450), leading the Sun Belt.
• The trip to Atlanta marks a homecoming for
Kamani Johnson (who played at Holy Spirit Prep) and coaches
Darrell Walker and
Alfred Jordan, who came to Little Rock from Clark Atlanta.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
2019-20: 18-12 overall, 11-8 Sun Belt (5th)
Last Three Games: L vs. Georgia Southern (79-70), L at Texas State (86-76), L at UT Arlington (70-62)
Head Coach: Rob Lanier (St. Bonaventure, 1990). First season at Georgia State (18-12), 5th season overall (70-82)
Key Players:
• #12 Kane Williams (Jr., G): 14.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.3 apg
• #11 Cory Allen (Jr., G): 13.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 41.2 FG%
• #2 Justin Roberts (So., G): 13.6 ppg, 3.7 apg, 41.0 3FG%
• #1 Damon Wilson (Sr., G): 10.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 40.2 FG%
• #10 Nelson Phillips (So., G): 8.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 48.0 FG%Â
LAST WE MET
It will be 367 days since Little Rock and Georgia State last squared off, an 83-70 Panther victory at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta on March 2, 2019. Georgia State raced out to a 20-point lead at the half and cruised to the win as the Trojans shot just 28.6% in the opening 20 minutes to fall behind big early.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Little Rock has already clinched the regular season Sun Belt title and the number one seed in the upcoming Sun Belt tournament in New Orleans. The Trojans are seeking their 22nd victory of the year, which would be the ninth-most in program history. Little Rock is going for its 16th Sun Belt win as well, which would be the second-most in program history.
HONORS FOR KAMANI
Kamani earned his second Sun Belt Player of the Week honor of the season after his 32-point, 16-rebound performance at Arkansas State Saturday, setting career-highs in both. The honor for Johnson gives the Trojans five Sun Belt Player of the Week honors (three for Markquis Nowell), the most in a single season for the program.Â
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROJANS TROJANS
With his 13-point, 12-rebound performance in the win over Louisiana, Ruot Monyyong recorded his 16th double-double of the season. That total is twice as many as his nearest Sun Belt competitor and ranks ninth nationally. As a team, Little Rock has 22 double-doubles (five for Kamani Johnson, one for Markquis Nowell), the most in the Sun Belt Conference.
MAKING A STATEMENT
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, including seventh in defensive rebounds per game. Monyyong is ninth nationally with 16 double-doubles and has posted double digit rebounding totals in 18 games while scoring in double figures a team-best 23 times, leading the Sun Belt in both rebounds and blocks.
RUOT BLOCK PARTY
With another block in the win over ULM, Ruot Monyyong upped his season block total to 62 as he continues to lead the Sun Belt Conference. He recently surpassed Ryan Moss (1997-98) for the most in a single season in program history at the Division I level.
RACING PAST 700
Markquis Nowell finished with 19 points in the win over Louisiana, one shy of his 13th 20-point performance of the season. He upped his career point total to 749, the most among the Trojan roster, as he leads the league in three pointers per game (2.8).
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM...
Little Rock is one of two teams nationally which leads its conference after being picked 11th in the respective preseason poll and is one of three conference leaders picked seventh or lower. With its win Saturday afternoon, Little Rock becomes the 14th team to reach 15 conference victories this season.
THROWING IT DOWN
Little Rock has made a name for itself with its inside game and continues to emerge as one of the top dunking teams in the Sun Belt. The Trojans are out-dunking the opposition 94-41 on the year, registering four or more dunks in 15 games this season. Ruot Monyyong leads the way with 57 on the year, including 40 in Sun Belt Conference play alone.
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