LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock returns to action after a nearly two-week COVID hiatus, hosting Texas State at the Jack Stephens Center on Thursday, January 20, tipping at 6:30 p.m. Hayden Balgavy and Patrick Newton will have the call on ESPN+ while Trojan Hall of Famer Ray Tucker will have the radio broadcast on 106.7 FM The Buz2, beginning at 6:15 p.m.
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock is playing just its second game in the calendar year of 2022 after having to cancel its last three games at Louisiana and the home-and-home with rival Arkansas State due to a combination of COVID positives and injuries.
• Little Rock is in its 31st, and final, season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, posting an all-time record of 264-252 as a member of the league. The Trojans are tied with Arkansas State and Louisiana as the second-longest tenured members of the conference.
• Little Rock and Texas State have met 20 times previously with the Bobcats holding an 11-9 edge in the all-time series. Texas State has won five-straight and nine of the last 10 against the Trojans, sweeping the four-game series in 2020-21.
• The Trojans are 6-4 all-time against Texas State in Little Rock, but the Bobcats have won four of the last five.
•
Nikola Maric matched his season-high 24 points at ULM Thursday, upping his career point total to 963 and leaving him 37 points shy of becoming the 21st member of the Little Rock 1,000-point club.
• Maric has scored in double figures in his last seven games, giving him 55 games scoring 10 or more points out of his 81 games played (67.9%). He is joined by
Isaiah Palermo and
Marko Lukic with eight double-figure point totals this season.
• Little Rock trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half at ULM on January 6, marking the 11th time this season out of 14 games the Trojans have faced a double-digit deficit. The Trojans have rallied to win three of those games.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
2021-22: 11-4 overall, 2-1 Sun Belt Conference
Last Three Games: W vs. Louisiana (72-68), W vs. ULM (80-56), L vs. Troy (78-63)
Head Coach: Terrence Johnson (Southern, 2001). Second season at Texas State (29-11)
Key Players:
• #5 Caleb Asberry (Sr., G): 14.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 45.4 FG%
• #1 Isiah Small (Sr., F): 11.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 47.0 FG%
• #12 Mason Harrell (Sr., G): 10.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 45.5 3FG%
• #4 Shelby Adams (Sr., G): 9.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 53.8 FG%
• #22 Nighael Ceaser (Sr. F): 8.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 60.4 FG%
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Texas State meet for the 21st time Thursday with the Bobcats holding an 11-9 edge in the all-time series. Texas State has had the upper hand in recent years, winning five-straight and nine of the last 10. The Trojans are 6-4 all-time against the Bobcats in Little Rock, including a 5-4 mark at the Jack Stephens Center, but have dropped four of the last five on its home court to its West Division rivals.
LAST TIME OUT
Once again, Little Rock rallied from a double-digit second half deficit to pull even with ULM, but this time the Trojans couldn't make the shots down the stretch as the Warhawks pulled away for an 80-72 win January 6 in Monroe.
Nikola Maric matched his season-high with 24 points and
Isaiah Palermo added 19, but couldn't withstand ULM shooting 57.1% from the floor - the highest opponent shooting average of the season.
CHASING 1,000
Senior
Nikola Maric had another strong showing to start Sun Belt play, matching his season-high with 24 points in the loss at ULM on January 6. It was the second-straight conference game in which Maric has scored 24 for Little Rock, upping his career point total to 963. Maric now sits just 37 points shy of becoming the 21st member of the Trojan 1,000 point club and would be the first to join the club since Will Neighbour in 2014.
STRONG START FOR CJ
Junior
CJ White has been a strong contributor off the bench for Little Rock since returning from an ankle injury. White flirted with a triple-double at ULM on January 6, finishing with eight rebounds, a career-high eight assists and six points. White leads the Trojans in assists per game at 3.7 and is fourth on the team in rebounding (4.6 rpg) while leading the team in free throw shooting at 88.9% (8-of-9).
CONSISTENT PALERMO
Junior
Isaiah Palermo scored 19 points against ULM on January 6, going 7-of-12 from the floor with five rebounds. Palermo ranks second on the Trojans in scoring (12.9 ppg), field goal percentage (55.4%) and rebounding (4.8 rpg), leading the team in steals per game (1.2 spg).
DOUBLE FIGURE TROJANS
10 different Trojans have combined for 43 double figure performances in 2021-22.
Nikola Maric and
Isaiah Palermo both scored in double figures for the eighth time this season against ULM January 6, joining
Marko Lukic for the team lead after Lukic's five-game streak ended following his seven-point outing.
PLAYING FROM BEHIND
Little Rock has had to play from behind for the majority of the season, facing a double-digit deficit in 11 of its 14 games this season. Nine of those games have seen the Trojans trailing by 10 or more in the second half as Little Rock has rallied to win three of those games this season.
PRESSING THROUGH ADVERSITY
Injuries have played a major factor for the Trojans as 10 different players have combined for 73 missed games this season.
Chris Walker,
DeAntoni Gordon,
Marko Andric,
Ethan Speaker and
Admir Besovic did not make the trip to Louisiana this week as Little Rock has used nine different starting lineup combinations with 12 different Trojans earning starts due to those injuries.
HOME SWEET HOME
Little Rock is in its 17th season at the Jack Stephens Center as the Trojans have posted a 156-86 (.645) all-time record in their on-campus home, including a 5-2 home record in 2021-22. Little Rock has posted an 87-59 (.596) record against Sun Belt opponents at the Jack Stephens Center, defeating Georgia Southern 78-66 on December 30 in its final conference opener.
STRIVING FOR 70
70 points a game has been the goal for head coach
Darrell Walker since arriving at Little Rock and the Trojans have found success when reaching the mark. Under Walker, Little Rock is 34-20 (.630) when scoring 70 or more points and just 14-34 (.292) when it scores 69 points or less.
LAST TRIP AROUND THE SUN
Little Rock continues its 31st, and final, season in the Sun Belt this weekend against the Texas schools. The Trojans joined the league in the 1991-92 season and are tied with Arkansas State and Louisiana as the second-longest tenured members of the conference. Little Rock has compiled a 264-252 (.512) all-time record as members of the Sun Belt, including a 6-10 mark against the Bobcats, which joined the league in 2014. The Trojans recently announced they will join the Ohio Valley Conference, effective July 1, 2022.
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