SAN MARCOS, Texas – Little Rock rallied from a 23-point deficit in the second half to take the lead late and force overtime, but Texas State pulled away in the extra stanza to take a 77-67 victory over the Trojans at Strahan Arena. The Bobcats sweep the four-game season series over the Trojans as Little Rock falls to 10-9 overall and 6-6 in Sun Belt play.
Game Notes
• Little Rock finished the game shooting 51.2% (22-of-43), thanks to knocking down 15-of-23 (65.2%) in the second half. The Trojans were 6-of-9 from three point range in the second half (66.7%), finishing the contest at 10-of-17 for 58.8%, the second-highest shooting percentage of the season.
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Marko Lukic just missed a career-high with 21 points off the bench for Little Rock, going 7-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-8 from three with three rebounds. His 21 points is just shy of his career-best 22 against Coastal Carolina on January 30, 2020.
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Nikola Maric added 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting while going 4-for-4 from the free throw line with two rebounds.
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Ruot Monyyong just missed his 27th career double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds with a pair of steals in 40 minutes of play, going 3-of-6 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the line.
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Ben Coupet Jr. added six points and a team-high six assists in a career-high 43 minutes, pulling down three rebounds.
CJ White finished with six point as well off the bench for the Trojans.
• Both teams finished with 26 rebounds on the night, but the difference came in turnovers as the Trojans committed 19 to the Bobcats' 11, leading to a 32-14 edge for Texas State. The Bobcats also held a 16-3 edge in fast break points, taking advantage of Trojan miscues.
• Texas State has now won five-straight in the series and nine of the last 10 to take an 11-9 edge in the all-time meetings between the two teams. The Trojans dropped their fifth-straight in San Marcos since a 77-74 double overtime win in 2016.
First Half Notes
• Little Rock's shooting woes continued early against Texas State as the Trojans connected on just two of its first 14 shots of the game, watching the Bobcats race out to a 26-9 lead at the 6:25 mark. Four of the Trojans' first nine points came from the free throw line with a jumper from reMaric and a three from Coupet the lone field goals.
• Back-to-back threes from Lukic helped Little Rock start to trim into the lead as the Trojans used a 13-2 run spanning four minutes, pulling to within six at 28-22 at the 2:01 mark. Maric scored seven-straight for the Trojans during the run, hitting a pair of field goals and going 3-for-4 from the free throw line.
• Texas State outscored the Trojans 5-1 over the final 1:31, taking a 33-23 lead into the locker room at halftime. Little Rock made just six of its 15 shots in the first half, committing 11 turnovers which led to 16 Texas State points. Maric led the way with 10 points while Lukic added six points off the bench.
Second Half/Overtime Notes
• Palermo scored a pair of quick baskets for the Trojans to start the second half, narrowing the deficit to eight at 35-27, but Texas State then rattled off a 14-0 run to seemingly take control of the contest at 55-32 with 11:52 remaining.
• Monyyong helped end the run with five-straight points for the Trojans, and back-to-back threes from White and Lukic helped narrow the Texas State lead to 55-38 with 10:58 remaining. That sparked a 24-2 Trojan run, ultimately leading to a 30-4 Little Rock run that resulted in a the Trojans taking a 62-59 lead with 0:23 remaining.
• Little Rock used a 14-0 run over a five minute span, turning the 59-48 deficit into a 62-59 lead off a layup from Monyyong with 23 seconds remaining. A clutch three from Texas State with nine seconds left tied the game at 62-62 and Lukic's three at the buzzer was blocked, forcing overtime.
• In overtime, a three from Lukic with 4:11 remaining tied the game at 65-65. But the Bobcats outscored the Trojans 12-2 over the final four minutes, pulling away for the 77-67 victory to sweep the four-game season series.
• The shooting woes once again plagued the Trojans in overtime as Little Rock was just 1-of-5 in the extra stanza, including 1-of-4 from the free throw line. Lukic scored four of the Trojans' five points in overtime.
Up Next
• Little Rock now prepares for rivalry week with a pair of games against Arkansas State, beginning Wednesday in Jonesboro when the Trojans and Red Wolves tip at 8 p.m. from First National Bank Arena.
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