LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock begins a challenging stretch of the Sun Belt schedule, heading east to the Carolinas for the final time. The Trojans take on Coastal Carolina Thursday at 6 p.m. CT at the HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina, streaming on ESPN+. Trojan Hall of Famer Ray Tucker will handle the radio call on 106.7 FM The Buz2, beginning at 5:45 p.m. CT.
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock plays six of its next eight games on the road, traveling to the Carolinas, Alabama and Texas. If all eight games are played, the Trojans will travel approximately 4,500 miles, spending time in seven different states.
• Little Rock is in its 31st, and final, season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, posting an all-time record of 265-253 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 Coastal Carolina meet for the eighth time with the Chanticleers holding a 5-2 edge in the series. The Trojans won both meetings in 2020 as head coach
Darrell Walker is 2-1 against the Chanticleers.
• The Trojans are seeking their first true road win on the year, sitting at 0-5. Little Rock has lost 11-straight road games, dating back to the win at UT Arlington on January 22, 2021.
• Five different Trojans scored in double figures in the triple overtime win over UT Arlington Saturday, tying for the most in a single game this season. 11 different Trojans have combined for 51 double figure performances in 2021-22.
• The triple overtime game against UT Arlington Saturday was tied for the third-longest game in program history as the 16 made three pointers was one off the single-game record.
• The shorthanded Trojans used all nine players that dressed against UT Arlington Saturday as Little Rock's roster has missed a combined 85 games due to injuries this season.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE CHANTICLEERS
2021-22: 11-8 overall, 3-4 Sun Belt Conference
Last Three Games: W at Georgia State (72-68, OT); W at Georgia Southern (76-72); L at App State (84-76, OT)
Head Coach: Cliff Ellis (Florida State, 1968). 15th season at Coastal Carolina (275-196); 47th season overall (887-546)
Key Players:
• #44 Essam Mostafa (R-So., C): 15.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 52.6 FG5
• #24 Vince Cole (Sr., G): 15.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 40.5 3FG%
• #3 Rudi Williams (Sr., G): 13.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 44.2 3 FG%
• #2 Garrick Green (Sr., G): 7.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 44.8 FG%
• #10 Edrima Dibba (R-Jr., G): 7.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 45.8 FG%
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Coastal Carolina meet for the eighth time overall with the Chanticleers winning five of the first seven meetings. After losing the first five games, Little Rock swept the season series in 2020, winning in both Little Rock and Conway, as the Trojans are 1-2 all-time at the HTC Center.
LAST TIME OUT
It took 55 minutes, a career-high 27 points from freshman
D.J. Smith, a near-program record in three pointers and every available player on the Trojan bench to contribute, but Little Rock held on for a thrilling 98-96 triple overtime win over UT Arlington Saturday. Five Trojans finished in double figures as Little Rock held off a furious UTA rally over the final nine minutes, then held a lead in each of the overtime periods before finally outlasting the Mavericks.
FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Little Rock's win over UT Arlington was one for the record books in a pair of categories. The three overtime game was tied for the third-longest game in program history, and the longest at the Jack Stephens Center, while the 16 made three pointers was one off the program record of 17 set against ULM on January 13, 2011. Saturday's game was the fifth overtime game under head coach
Darrell Walker, posting a 3-2 record.
HOMETOWN CONNECTION
Three hometown players had a huge afternoon against UT Arlington as
D.J. Smith - North Little Rock (27),
CJ White - Little Rock (11) and Terrell Curtis - Maumelle (5) combined for 43 points against the Mavericks. Smith scored 13 of his career-high 27 points in the three overtime periods, White dished out a team-high seven assists, and Curtis played the final overtime period, scoring five key points to help lead the Trojans to the key Sun Belt victory.
CONSISTENT PALERMO
Junior
Isaiah Palermo had 14 points against UT Arlington Saturday - his team-best ninth double-digit performance of the season. Palermo ranks second on the Trojans in scoring (12.7 ppg), rebounding (4.7 rpg), field goal percentage (50.7%) and minutes played (29.3 mpg), leading the team in steals (1.4 spg) while ranking third in free throw percentage (78.3%).
DOUBLE FIGURE TROJANS
11 different Trojans have combined for 51 double-figure performances in 2021-22.
D.J. Smith (27),
Kevin Osawe (15),
Isaiah Palermo (14),
Myron Gardner (10) and
Jovan Stulic (10) each reached double figures against the Mavericks Saturday, tied for a season-high in double-digit scorers, as Palermo reached double-figures for the team-high ninth time this season.
PLAYING FROM BEHIND
Little Rock has had to play from behind for the majority of the season, facing a double-digit deficit in 12 of its 16 games this season. 10 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.
SHORTHANDED TROJANS
Injuries have played a major factor for the Trojans as 11 different players have combined for 85 missed games this season.
Chris Walker,
DeAntoni Gordon,
Marko Lukic,
Marko Andric,
Ethan Speaker and
Nikola Maric did not suit up against the Texas schools last week as Little Rock has used 10 different starting lineup combinations with 12 different Trojans earning starts due to those injuries.
ROAD WOES
Little Rock is still in search of its first true road win of the season, sitting at 0-5 on the year. The Trojans have dropped 11-straight road games, dating back to the 66-59 win at UT Arlington on January 22, 2021, giving up an average of 83.6 points per game on the road this season while scoring just 66.2 points per outing.
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 35-20 (.636) when scoring 70 or more points and just 14-35 (.286) 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, making its final trip to the Carolinas. Joining the league in 1991-92 season, the Trojans are tied with Arkansas State and Louisiana as the second-longest tenured members of the conference. Little Rock has compiled a 265-253 (.512) all-time record as members of the Sun Belt, going 2-5 against Coastal Carolina, which joined the league in 2017.
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