ARLINGTON, Texas – For the first time all season, Little Rock never held a lead in a game and found itself trailing by double digits in the second half in a 66-61 loss at UT Arlington Saturday afternoon. The Trojans couldn't complete the four-game series sweep of the Mavericks, falling to 8-7 on the year and 4-4 in Sun Belt play.
Markquis Nowell led all scorers with 19 points and
Ruot Monyyong pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds, but just missed his seventh-straight double-double, finishing with nine points on the afternoon.
Game Notes
• Little Rock struggled once again from the floor, making just 32.8% of its shots (20-of-61) while UT Arlington hit 25-of-60 shots (41.7%). The Trojans were 6-of-25 from three point range (24.0%).
• Nowell's 19 points led all scorers as he was 6-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-8 from three point range, connecting on all three of his free throw attempts. He grabbed three rebounds and dished out three assists as well.
• Monyyong's 19 rebounds was a new career-high, besting his previous best of 17 against Texas State on January 2, 2020. He just missed his seventh-straight double-double, and his 11th of the season, finishing with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting while going 1-for-4 from the line. He also added four blocks.
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Nikola Maric had his usual productive outing, scoring 13 points with eight rebounds and was solid from the free throw line for the Trojans, making nine of his 10 attempts. He also registered a pair of assists with a block.
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Marko Lukic added nine points off the bench while
Ben Coupet Jr. finished with five points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks.
• Little Rock outrebounded UT Arlington 45-35, but the Mavericks held a 26-24 advantage in points in the paint. The Trojans held an 18-9 edge in offensive boards, leading to an 18-4 second chance points edge.
First Half Notes
• Both teams struggled from the floor in the early going, shooting a combined 2-for-13 through the opening five minutes. UT Arlington held a 7-4 lead at the 14:55 mark before a Coupet three pointer tied the game at 7-7.
• That was as close as the Trojans would get to take the lead as UT Arlington reeled off the next seven points, doubling up Little Rock with a 14-7 lead at the 12:36 mark. The Maverick lead was extended to 10 at 19-9 before a three from Nowell at the 10:29 mark ended a nearly four minute field goal drought for Little Rock.
• Little Rock was able to get to within five on three different occasions, the last of which came at the 4:08 mark off a jumper from Andric to cut the deficit to 26-21. UT Arlington then reeled off seven-straight to build its largest lead of the first half at 33-21 with 2:16 remaining, taking a 36-26 lead into halftime.
• Nowell led the Trojans in the opening 20 minutes with nine points off the bench while Maric added six points and four rebounds. Monyyong had seven rebounds but just two points as Little Rock was 10-of-28 from the floor (35.7%) and 3-of-12 (25.0%) from three point range in the first half.
Second Half Notes
• Little Rock scored the first six points of the second half, coming off back-to-back threes from Lukic and Nowell as the Trojans were able to claw to within four at 36-32 at the 15:36 mark of the second half. Nowell's three pushed his point total to 12, marking his 45th game in double figures for his Trojan career.
• Four points was the mark the Trojans could never crack, reaching it three more times in the second half, the last of which came at the 7:44 mark off a jumper from Lukic to pull Little Rock to 50-46. But the Mavericks would score eight of the next 10 points, extending the lead back to 10 at 58-48 to keep Little Rock at a distance.
• The Trojans were able to pull to within five on three occasions over the final three minutes, but couldn't get the defensive stops when they needed them. A pair of free throws from Maric trimmed the lead to 58-53 at the 2:35 mark, and to 64-59 with 0:37 to play. A late layup from Coupet with three seconds left made the final deficit 66-61.
• It was another tough shooting half for Little Rock, which was 10-of-33 from the floor (30.3%) and just 3-of-13 from three point range (23.1%). Nowell led the way with 10 points over the final 20 minutes as Monyyong scored seven points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the second half.
Up Next
• Little Rock returns home for its first games of the season against ULM this weekend at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans and Warhawks tip at 6:30 p.m. Friday, followed by a 4 p.m. showdown Saturday.
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