JONESBORO, Ark. – Arkansas State used an overwhelming first half to build a 20 point lead on Little Rock and the Trojans were unable to rally in the second half, dropping a 73-62 decision at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro. It was the third-straight loss for Little Rock, falling to 10-10 overall and 6-7 in Sun Belt play.
Game Notes
• Little Rock shot 47.8% from the game, knocking down 22-of-46 from the floor and 7-of-20 from three point range (35.0%). In contrast, Arkansas State shot 50.0% from the floor and 37.5% from beyond the arc.
•
Ben Coupet Jr. led all scorers with 22 points while
Ruot Monyyong recorded 11 points and 13 rebounds, his 12th double-double of the season and 28th of his career, tying Rashad Jones-Jennings for the most in program history.
•
Admir Besovic came off the bench with seven points in the second half with six points each for
Nikola Maric,
Marko Lukic and
CJ White. White also dished out a career-high seven assists on the night.
• Little Rock held a 28-27 edge in rebounding, but were outscored by the Red Wolves in the paint 26-20. The Trojans committed 14 turnovers on the night, forcing just nine for Arkansas State.
First Half Notes
• Little Rock and Arkansas State exchanged baskets in the early going as layups and a three from Coupet, followed by a layup from Maric, helped the Trojans open up a 7-6 lead at the 16:09 mark of the first half.
• Arkansas State found its scoring touch, using a 15-2 run to transform that 7-6 Trojan lead into a 21-9 deficit at the 9:42 mark. Little Rock connected on just one of eight shots during that span, finally getting back on the board with six of eight over the next minute and a half to cut the deficit to eight at 23-15 with 8:16 to go in the opening half.
• But that was as close at the Trojans would get in the first half as Arkansas State answered with a 12-0 run to break the game open at 35-15 with 3:38 to go in the opening half. Little Rock made just two field goals over the final 8:16 and trailed 40-22 heading into the locker room.
• Little Rock shot just 37.5% from the floor and was 2-of-9 from three, contrasted by 53.8% for the Red Wolves and an 18-11 rebounding edge. Coupet led the way with 10 points while White and Maric added four each.
Second Half Notes
• Little Rock found a spark early in the second half, using a combined 11 points from Monyyong and Coupet, along with a three from Lukic to string together a 14-7 run to pull to within 14 at 52-38 with 13:03 remaining. The back-to-back threes from Coupet and Lukic forced a Red Wolves timeout, limiting Arkansas State to just two field goals during the run.
• Arkansas State extended the lead back to 19 off five-straight points, answered by six of the next eight for Little Rock to pull to within 15 at 59-44 with 9:51 remaining. Trailing by 19 at 63-44, Little Rock put together a 7-0 run, getting the deficit down to 12 at 63-51.
• The Trojans mounted one last attempt at a rally, getting to within nine at 71-62 with just over a minute to play, but the deficit from the first half proved to be too great. Besovic led the way with seven points over the stretch, but Little Rock was unable to get over the hump.
• Little Rock shot much better in the second half, connecting on 13-of-22 (59.1%), going 5-of-11 from three (45.5%). The Trojans outscored the Red Wolves 40-33 over the final 20 minutes.
Up Next
• Little Rock and Arkansas State will battle each other once again tomorrow afternoon, this time at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock. Opening tip in the 93rd meeting between the Trojans and Red Wolves will be at 5 p.m.
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