SAN MARCOS, Texas – Cold shooting once again plagued Little Rock as an extended first half run by Texas State turned the tide and paved the way for a 57-47 victory for the Bobcats at Strahan Arena Friday afternoon. Little Rock falls to 10-8 on the year and 6-5 in Sun Belt play.
Game Notes
• Shooting woes once again plagued Little Rock as the Trojans were 17-of-44 from the floor (38.6%) and 5-of-18 (27.8%) from three-point range. After starting the game 5-of-7, Little Rock was just 12-of-37 (32.4%) over the final 35 minutes.
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Nikola Maric was the lone Trojan in double figures with 12 points, marking a season-low for Little Rock players in double figures. Maric was 5-of-9 from the floor and has now finished in double figures in 17 of Little Rock's 18 games on the year.
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Marko Lukic finished with nine points on 3-of-7 shooting off the bench with a pair of rebounds.
Ben Coupet Jr. added seven points with two rebounds and a pair of assists.
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Markquis Nowell finished with six points on 2-of-3 shooting in the first half, including 2-of-2 from three in the first half with two rebounds and an assist. Nowell did not play in the second half for the Trojans.
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CJ White added five points off the bench while
Ruot Monyyong finished with four points, but pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
• Texas State outrebounded Little Rock 30-27, outscoring the Trojans 30-22 in the paint. The Bobcats finished the game 23-of-49 from the floor (46.9%) while forcing 15 Little Rock turnovers.
• The loss for the Trojans was their fourth-straight in San Marcos, dating back to 2016, as Little Rock has now lost four-straight to Texas State.
First Half Notes
• It was a strong start for the Trojans, who knocked down five of their first six seven of the game to build a 12-6 lead early. Maric scored six points early for Little Rock while Nowell and Coupet each added three through the first five minutes.
• Little Rock then went cold on the floor as Texas State rattled off a 17-1 run over the next 10 minutes, turning that 12-6 deficit into a 23-13 lead as the Trojans were held without a field goal for 9:51. The Trojans missed 11-straight shots to fall behind by double digits.
• The Bobcats extended that lead to 35-19 at the 0:58 mark, using a 12-6 run to build a 16-point lead in the final minutes. Little Rock was able to trim the deficit to 37-24 at halftime, thanks to a three from Lukic and a jumper from White, but finished the final 15 minutes of the first half just 4-of-14 from the floor.
• Little Rock was just 9-of-21 from the floor over the opening 20 minutes (42.9%) while Texas State connected on 55.6% of its attempts (15-of-27). The Trojans were 4-of-10 from three and just 2-of-7 from the free throw line, led by six points each from Nowell and Maric.
Second Half Notes
• Texas State continued to extend its lead to start the second half, upping its advantage to 17 at 45-28 at the 14:06 mark. Little Rock tried to claw into the advantage, using a 9-2 run over the ensuing four minutes behind five points from Lukic to trim the deficit to 10 at 47-37 at the midway point of the second half.
• After Texas State extended its lead to 14 at 51-37, the Trojans once again pulled to within 10 at 51-41 with 5:48 remaining off four-straight free throws. Little Rock went over seven minutes without a field goal before a three from White at the 2:53 mark cut the Bobcat lead to 10 at 55-45 as the Trojans' five points over that span all came from the free throw line.
• 10 points was the closest Little Rock could claw to in the second half as a layup from Maric with 29 seconds left narrowed the final decision to 57-47. The Trojans made just two field goals over the final 13:08 and eight total in the second half.
• Maric and Lukic each finished with six points over the final 20 minutes to pace the Trojans who were 8-of-23 in the second half (34.8%) and 1-of-8 from three point range (12.5%).
Up Next
• Little Rock and Texas State finish their four-game season series Saturday at 4 p.m. at Strahan Arena in San Marcos, Texas.
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