LITTLE ROCK – Marko Lukic and
Nikola Maric combined for 40 points and Little Rock held the lead at the half, but a second half surge by Jacksonville State did in the Trojans in an 87-67 loss Tuesday afternoon at the Jack Stephens Center.
Lukic set a new career high with 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-9 from three point range. 23 of those points came in the first half as Lukic was 7-of-12 in the opening 20 minutes, finishing with three rebounds as well. His 25 points bests his previous high of 23, set earlier this month at Arkansas.
Maric added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting with four rebounds in 20 minutes, playing his first game in nearly a month. They were the two lone Trojans to reach double figures as
Jovan Stulic added nine points with three rebounds.
D.J. Smith added seven points with a pair of rebounds and two assists with
Jordan Jefferson scoring five points and
Isaiah Palermo adding four.
For the game, Little Rock shot 41.8% from the floor and 38.1% from three point range, compared to 53.8% overall and 51.9% from three point range. The Gamecocks outrebounded the Trojans 38-27 and held a 28-20 edge in the paint, finishing the game with 14 three pointers as a team.
Seeing his first action since the Northern Illinois game, Maric got the scoring started for the Trojans with a three on Little Rock's first possession to take the early lead. But the Trojans would miss their next nine shots and watch Jacksonville State rattle off nine-straight to take the 9-3 lead early.
Jacksonville State would extend its lead to as many as eight at 21-13 at the 11:19 mark, but Little Rock responded with an extended 15-7 run, pulling even at 28-28 with 6:50 remaining in the first half. Lukic and Maric combined for 13 of the 15 points during that stretch as Little Rock hit five consecutive field goals.
The Maric and Lukic show would continue as Nikola would knock down a jumper, then add a pair of free throws to help Little Rock claim its first lead since early on at 32-30 with 5:50 remaining as the field goal extended the Trojans' streak to six-straight. Lukic would later on hit back-to-back threes, giving Little Rock the 40-38 lead with 2:51 remaining in the first half.
Maric and Lukic were nearly unstoppable in the first half for the Trojans, as they combined for 38 of Little Rock's 43 points, going a combined 13-of-18 from the floor. Lukic scored 23 on 7-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three, while Maric was 6-for-6 for 15 points as Little Rock took the 43-42 halftime lead after shooting 51.6% in the opening half.
Lukic would get a tough jumper in the lane to start the second half, giving him a new career high with 25 points, putting the Trojans up three at 45-42. But similar to the first half, Little Rock went cold from the floor, making just one of its next seven shots as Jacksonville State put together a 14-2 run to take a nine point lead at 56-47 at the 14:19 mark.
Little Rock would get the lead down to five on a pair of occasions behind a transition layup from Smith and a Stulic free throw, the last of which came at 58-53 with 10:46 remaining. But Jacksonville State answered with a 10-1 run to push the lead to 14 at 68-54 with 8:13 remaining as Maric picked up his fifth foul during the run.
Jacksonville State's three point shooting kept Little Rock from mounting a comeback, knocking down seven over a six-minute span to increase its lead to 23 at 85-62 with under three minutes to go before settling in for the 87-67 win, outscoring the Trojans 45-24 in the second half. Little Rock shot just 32.1% over the final 20 minutes, compared to 68.2% for Jacksonville State, highlighted by 8-for-11 from three-point range.
Demaree King led the way with 32 points for Jacksonville State, the most by an opposing player this season and tied for the second-most by an opponent in the Jack Stephens Center. Kayne Henry finished with 13 points and eight rebounds as well for Jacksonville State.
Little Rock has concluded its non-conference slate and now prepares for its last trip around the Sun, beginning its 31st and final year of Sun Belt play facing Georgia Southern. Opening tip against the Eagles is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 30 at the Jack Stephens Center.
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