| GAME 2 - CHAMPION CHRISTIAN |
| Date |
Friday, Nov. 12 - 6:30 p.m. |
| Location |
Little Rock, Ark. |
| Arena |
Jack Stephens Center |
| Records |
Little Rock (1-0, 0-0 SBC)
Champion Christian (1-3, 0-0 ACCA) |
| Watch |
ESPN+ |
| Listen |
106.7 FM The Buz2 |
| Live Stats |
TrojanStats.com |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Champion Christian |
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock continues its season-opening home stand when it welcomes Champion Christian to the Jack Stephens Center for the second-straight year. The Trojans and Tigers will tip at 6:30 p.m. Friday, November 12 with Hayden Balgavy and Patrick Newton carrying the call on ESPN+. Trojan Hall of Famer Ray Tucker will handle the radio call on 106.7FM The Buz2, beginning at 6:10 p.m.
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock and Champion Christian met at the Jack Stephens Center on December 18, 2020, with the Trojans taking the 78-50 victory in the first-ever meeting between the teams.
CJ White made his Little Rock debut after receiving immediate eligibility from the NCAA and scored 12 points off the bench, including going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, as the Trojans led by as many as 32 late in the second half.
• Champion Christian is the first of four Arkansas schools to visit the Jack Stephens Center in 2021-22 (Champion Christian, Arkansas Baptist, Philander Smith, Arkansas State) and the first of six schools from the Natural State (Arkansas, Central Arkansas)the Trojans will square off against this season.
• Little Rock improved to 44-40 overall in season openers and 40-3 in home openers at the Division I level following its 69-66 win over Southern Illinois Tuesday night.
• Head coach
Darrell Walker won his fourth-straight season opener Tuesday night, giving him a win in the first game of the year every year he has been in Little Rock. He became just the second Trojan head coach to win his first four season openers, joining Jim Platt from 1990-94.
• Three different Trojans made their Jack Stephens Center debuts Tuesday night as
DeAntoni Gordon,
Alsean Evans and
D.J. Smith all started against the Salukis and combined to score 31 of Little Rock's 69 points in the victory.
•
Nikola Maric flirted with a triple-double Tuesday night in the win over Southern Illinois, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. The 11-point performance was the 48th double-figure game of Maric's Little Rock career, upping his career point total to 834.
• Under head coach
Darrell Walker, Little Rock improved to 28-15 (.651) at the Jack Stephens Center, beginning its 17th year in its on-campus home. The Trojans have been especially tough against non-conference foes at home under Walker, improving to 11-4 (.733).
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
2021-22: 1-3 overall, 0-0 ACCA
Last Three Games: L at Oklahoma City (93-75), L at Williams Baptist (107-72), W vs. Campbellsville-Harrodsburg (74-73)
Head Coach: Mo Capaci (Champion Christian, 2013). Second season at Champion Christian (8-11)
Key Players:
• #14 Braylon Hawkins (Jr., F): 21.3 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 42.0 FG%
• #13 Ariyon Williams (Jr., G): 18.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 34.0 FG%
• #11 Keyshaun Scott (So., F): 7.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 42.0 FG%
• #21 Malik Laurent (Fr., C): 5.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 69.0 FG%
• #12 Ezekiel Capaci (Sr., G): 4.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 78.0 FT%
HOME SWEET HOME
Little Rock began its 17th season at the Jack Stephens Center Tuesday night as the Trojans have posted a 152-84 (.644) all-time record in their on-campus home. Little Rock has posted a 67-25 (.728) mark against non-conference foes at the Jack, winning eight of its last nine dating back to the 2018-19 season. Little Rock has notched a winning record at its on-campus home in 14 of the 16 full seasons, winning 10 or more home games on six occasions.
YEAR FOUR FOR WALKER
Head coach
Darrell Walker enters his fourth seasons at the helm of the Little Rock basketball program with a 43-46 (.483) mark on the Trojan sidelines. The Trojans have been efficient at home under Walker, boasting a 28-15 (.651) record at the Jack Stephens Center. Walker brings a unique background to the college ranks as he is the only coach that has been a head coach at the NBA, WNBA, Division II and Division I levels and is one of just six Division I head coaches who won an NBA championship as a player.
STRONG START FOR STULIC
Junior
Jovan Stulic had one of his best games in a Little Rock uniform Tuesday night, scoring a team-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting with three steals and a pair of assists to help lead the Trojans to the 69-66 win over Southern Illinois. Stulic scored 10 of his points late in the first half, helping Little Rock recover from a sluggish start against the Salukis.
CHASING 1,000
Senior
Nikola Maric continues to inch closer to an impressive career milestone, sitting at 834 career points in a Little Rock uniform. Maric is 166 points shy of becoming the 21st member of the Little Rock 1,000-point club and would become the first Trojan to reach that plateau since Will Neighbour in 2014.
ITS ABOUT TIME
Tuesday night marked the first appearance on the Jack Stephens Center court for
Alsean Evans as the redshirt senior has battled injuries during his first two years as a Trojan. He played in two games in 2019-20, logging just 30 minutes before sustaining a season-ending foot injury, then missed the entire 2020-21 season following a hip injury a week before the season began. Evans finished with 13 points and six rebounds Tuesday night, playing just shy of 29 minutes.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
A pair of newcomers made their Little Rock debuts Tuesday night as
DeAntoni Gordon and
D.J. Smith both found themselves among the starting lineup in the season opener. Gordon, who played one year at Wichita State and another at Northeast Mississippi, played 35 minutes and scored 12 points with six rebounds while true freshman
D.J. Smith made his collegiate debut just down the road from his home in North Little Rock, finishing with six points in 29 minutes of action.
FLIPPING THE SCRIPT
It is no secret that turnovers have haunted Little Rock the last few years, and has continued to be a point of emphasis for head coach
Darrell Walker. Tuesday night, Little Rock flipped the script and forced 23 Southern Illinois turnovers, resulting in 33 of Little Rock's 69 points on the night. The Trojans committed just 10 turnovers, its fewest since having just eight against both Champion Christian and Arkansas State in 2020-21.
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