| GAMES 12 & 13 - TEXAS STATE |
| Game One |
Friday, January 15 - 6:30 p.m. |
| Game Two |
Saturday, January 16 - 4 p.m. |
| Location |
Little Rock, Ark. |
| Arena |
Jack Stephens Center |
| Records |
Little Rock (7-4, 3-1 SBC)
Texas State (7-4, 1-1 SBC) |
| Watch |
ESPN+
Friday | Saturday |
| Listen |
106.7 FM The Buz2 |
| Live Stats |
Friday | Saturday |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Texas State |
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock returns to the Jack Stephens Center this weekend for a pair of games against Texas State. The Trojans and Bobcats tip at 6:30 p.m. Friday evening before a 4 p.m. game Saturday afternoon. Hayden Balgavy and Patrick Newton will have the call on ESPN+ while Trojan Hall of Famer Ray Tucker will handle the radio broadcasts on 106.7 FM The Buz2.
"It was good to get a split on the road in Louisiana, but now we have to come back and defend our home court," said head coach
Darrell Walker. "Texas State is always one of the top teams in the league, and they are just as tough on defense as they always are. It will be a tough challenge this weekend, but I like the way our team is playing right now."
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock sits atop the Sun Belt West Division standings at 3-1 following last weekend's split at Louisiana.
• Little Rock played its 500th game as a member of the Sun Belt Conference Saturday night in Louisiana, boasting an overall league record of 259-241 (.518).
• Little Rock heads into the weekend with a 9-7 all-time series advantage on Texas State. The Trojans are 6-2 all-time against the Bobcats in Little Rock.
• The two teams split last year's series with the home team winning each contest. The Trojans notched a 72-68 win in Little Rock on Jan. 2 before the Bobcats returned the favor with a 74-66 victory in San Marcos on Feb. 13.
•
Ruot Monyyong earned Sun Belt Player of the Week, honors becoming the third Trojan to achieve league accolades this season. Little Rock's three Players of the Week in 2020-21 is the most in the Sun Belt, followed by two from Georgia State.
•
Ruot Monyyong is tied for 18th among active Division I players with 23 career double-doubles entering the weekend. He has seven this season and is five shy of matching Rashad Jones-Jennings' 28 as the Trojans' all-time double-double leader.
• Little Rock enters the weekend on a 10-game winning streak at the Jack Stephens Center . The Trojans have won eight-straight home games against Sun Belt opponents.
• As a team, Little Rock boasts 12 double-doubles on the year (Monyyong - 7, Nowell - 4, Maric - 1). That is second nationally behind Illinois of the Big 10, which has a combined 14.
•
Markquis Nowell enters the weekend ranking fourth nationally in assists per game (7.7)14th in total assists (69) and 18th in steals per game (2.56).
Ruot Monyyong ranks 16th in total rebounds (114) and 17th in rebounds per game (10.4).
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
2020-21: 7-4 overall; 1-1 Sun Belt
Last Three Games: W at Louisiana (71-59), L at Louisiana (83-77, OT), W vs. Northern Arizona (70-65)
Head Coach: Terrence Johnson (Southern, 2001). First season at Texas State (7-4)
Key Players:
• #12 Mason Harrell (Jr., G): 13.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 41.5 3FG%
• #2 Caleb Asberry (Jr., G): 12.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 53.2 FG%
• #1 Isiah Small (Sr., F): 9.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 56.1 FG%
• #25 Alonzo Sule (Jr. F): 7.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 49.3 FG%
• #4 Shelby Adams (Sr., G): 7.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 52.3 FG%
LOOKING BACK
Little Rock and Texas State split the two-game series in 2019-20 with the home team emerging victorious in both games. The Trojans opened the year with a 72-68 win over the Bobcats at the Jack Stephens Center on January 2 before Texas State returned the favor in San Marcos with a 74-66 win on February 13.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock and Louisiana staged a pair of slugfests in the Cajundome over the weekend with each team notching a two-point victory. The Ragin' Cajuns outlasted the Trojans 66-64 Friday night, but Little Rock responded Saturday, rallying from a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Louisiana 78-76 in overtime.
RUN IT BACK RUOT
Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year
Ruot Monyyong is living up to his billing, especially since the start of conference play. In four league games, he is averaging 19.3 points and 13.0 rebounds, shooting 64.1% from the floor and 75.0% from the line. Monyyong has taken 36 free throws in league play (27 made) as the next closest Trojan is
Isaiah Palermo with 14 attempts.
PRAISE FOR THE BIG MAN
Ruot Monyyong's impressive weekend down in Louisiana earned the senior forward Sun Belt Player of the Week honors. Monyyong averaged 18.0 points and 14.5 rebounds in two games against the Ragin' Cajuns, tallying games of 17-13 and 19-16 while going 10-of-16 from the free throw line. It was his third-straight double-double and seventh of the season.
CHASING THE CROWN
Ruot Monyyong continues to draw closer to becoming Little Rock's all-time double-double leader. His performances in Louisiana upped his career total to 23, sitting five shy of matching Rashad Jones-Jennings (2005-07) for the program's all-time mark of 28. Monyyong's 23 career double-doubles is tied for 18th nationally among active Division I players.
CAREER DAY FOR PALERMO
Sophomore
Isaiah Palermo registered a career-high 17 points in the 78-76 overtime win at Louisiana, grabbing five rebounds and notching four in personal-best 40 minutes. In Sun Belt play, Palermo is averaging 9.0 points and 3.8 rebounds and has gone 11-of-14 from the free throw line, ranking second on the team.
MORE WEEKLY HONORS
With the Sun Belt Player of the Week honor for
Ruot Monyyong, Little Rock has had three different players earn weekly honors for the league this season, the most of any program. Monyyong became the 22nd different Trojan in program history to earn weekly accolades since Little Rock joined the Sun Belt.
AMONG NATION'S BEST
Little Rock remains one of the nation's top shooting teams, sitting 18th nationally and first in the Sun Belt in team field goal percentage at 50.4%. The Trojans have shot 50% or better in six of their first 11 games, going 4-2 in those games.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
Markquis Nowell continues to inch closer to joining an elite Trojan club. With his 15 points at Louisiana Saturday, he upped his career point total to 895, leaving him 105 shy of becoming the 21st member of the Trojan 1,000-point club and the first since Will Neighbour in 2014. He continues to move up the all-time Trojan greats in a handful of other categories, ranking first in free throw percentage (85.8%), seventh in both assists (410) and steals (136) and eighth in three pointers made (142).
THROWING IT DOWN
Little Rock's size has made it one of the Sun Belt's top dunking threats, holding a 37-17 advantage on the opposition this year following last years' 96-43 advantage.
Ruot Monyyong has thrown it down 19 times for the Trojans in 2020-21, upping his career total to 76, while
Kris Bankston sits at 100 career dunks.
HOME SWEET HOME
2020-21 marks the 16th season the Jack Stephens Center will serve as the home court for the Trojans as Little Rock has compiled an all-time record of 148-80 (.649) in the facility, including an 83-55 (.601) mark against Sun Belt Conference opponents. Since the Jack Stephens Center opened in 2005-06, Little Rock's men's and women's basketball teams have combined for nine regular season Sun Belt championships, the most of any conference school during that span.
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