MONROE, La. – Little Rock held a nine point lead with just over 12 minutes remaining, but strong efforts from both beyond the arc and at the free throw line for ULM equaled a strong second half surge for the Warhawks who defeat the Trojans 68-64 at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
The loss is the sixth-straight for Little Rock who falls to 10-13 on the season and 6-10 in Sun Belt play.
Game Notes
• Little Rock once again struggled from the floor, shooting 40.7% for the game (24-of-59) and was just 4-of-18 (22.2%) from three point range.
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Marko Lukic had another strong game for the Trojans, scoring 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting while going 6-for-6 from the free throw line with three rebounds.
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Ruot Monyyong and
Ben Coupet Jr. both came within a whisker of a double-double as the duo both finished with nine points and 10 rebounds on the afternoon.
Nikola Maric and
CJ White both had eight points for the Trojans with White pulling down a season-best seven rebounds.
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Isaiah Palermo added six points off the bench for the Trojans, but the Warhawk bench outscored Little Rock's 27-10.
• The Trojans dominated on the boards, outrebounding ULM 40-28 and leading to a 17-3 edge in second chance points. But that was evened out on the other end as the Warhawks outscored Little Rock 19-8 in points off turnovers, taking advantage of 15 for the Trojans.
First Half Notes
• ULM once again came out aggressive from the floor, scoring the first eight points of the game. That was quickly answered by six-straight by the Trojans, narrowing the deficit to two at 8-6 at the 16:37 mark.
• Little Rock kept ULM within five for the ensuing six minutes, trailing 22-17 at the midway point of the second half before a using an 8-0 to take its first lead of the game at 25-22. Palermo had four points during the stretch, including a steal and putback to spark the comeback.
• The Trojans would extend its lead to as many as six behind a three from Lukic, upping the Little Rock lead to 33-27 with 3:32 remaining. But some costly Little Rock turnovers helped ULM close the gap over the final three minutes as the Trojans took a 35-34 lead into the halftime break, its first halftime lead since facing ULM in Little Rock on January 30.
• Seven of the eight Trojans that played in the opening 20 minutes contributed as Little Rock shot 45.2% from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. Lukic led the way with nine, followed by seven from White and six from Palermo off the bench.
Second Half Notes
• Little Rock was the aggressor to start the second half, using a 10-2 run to build a 45-36 lead at the 15:02 mark. Five different Trojans scored during the stretch as Little Rock hit 5-of-8 from the floor while limiting ULM to just one made shot on eight attempts.
• Leading 47-38, Little Rock entered another scoring drought, making just two field goals over the next eight minutes as ULM knocked down four three-pointers in a 20-5 run, reclaiming the lead at 56-52 with 5:36 remaining.
• Little Rock chipped away, reclaiming the lead one last time off a three pointer from Lukic at the 2:19 mark to take a 64-63 advantage, but ULM made some key defensive stops down the stretch and were efficient from the free throw line, outscoring the Trojans 5-0 over the final two minutes to secure the victory.
• The Trojans shot just 35.7% from the floor and were just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes, making eight of 13 free throw attempts. Eight Little Rock turnovers also led to 12 Warhawk points in the second half, who finished the game making six of their final eight shots.
Up Next
• Little Rock closes out the regular season this weekend, hosting Louisiana at the Jack Stephens Center for the final two games of the year. Opening tip against the Ragin' Cajuns is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday, followed by a 4 p.m. start on Saturday.
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