JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Little Rock raced out to a quick start in Johnson City, but extended East Tennessee State runs put the Trojans in a hole it couldn't claw out of as a late rally comes up short in an 84-76 loss at Freedom Hall Thursday night.
Little Rock had three players finish in double figures, led by 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting off the bench for
Jordan Jefferson, knocking down three key three pointers.
DeAntoni Gordon had 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting in just 20 minutes while
Ethan Speaker added a career-high 11 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
D.J. Smith and
Myron Gardner both finished with nine points as Gardner added a team-high eight rebounds and seven assists while
Chris Walker finished with eight points off the bench.
For the game, Little Rock shot 46.8%, making 29-of-62 shots, including 9-of-24 from three point range (37.5%). But one of the keys to this game came down to the foul and free throw discrepancy as Little Rock was whistled for 29 fouls, resulting in 42 East Tennessee State free throws and four Trojans fouling out, while the Trojans shot just 13 from the charity stripe as the Bucs were whistled for just 14 personal fouls.
East Tennessee shot 51.8% from the floor, making 29-of-56 attempts, but were just 21-of-42 from the charity stripe, helping the Trojans remain within striking distance. The Trojans forced 16 Buccaneer turnovers, resulting in a 22-17 edge in points off turnovers. East Tennessee State outrebounded Little Rock 41-33, including a 14-8 edge in offensive boards.
After a pair of sluggish starts, Little Rock raced out to its best start of the season early against East Tennessee State, knocking down eight of its first 10 shots to race out to an early 18-8 lead through the first six and a half minutes paced by five from Gardner. But the Buccaneers found their scoring touch, using a 14-0 run and benefiting from four Little Rock turnovers to take a 22-18 advantage at the 11:03 mark.
The Trojans and Bucs battled back and forth over the next six minutes as the teams combined for five lead changes with a layup and three on back-to-back possessions for Speaker giving the Trojans the two point advantage at 29-27 with 5:44 remaining in the opening half.
But ETSU responded with a 15-0 run to take a 13-point lead of its own, extending the lead to 42-29 with just under two minutes remaining in the opening half. Jefferson hit a long three with 35 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 10 at 42-32, then Smith drained a three at the buzzer to end the half on a 6-0 run and cut the halftime hole to 42-35.
Little Rock shot 48.3% over the opening 20 minutes, including 5-of-11 from three point range, led by seven points from Speaker. Gordon and Smith each added six but saw the Bucs shoot 53.3% in the first half, including 5-of-10 from three point range.
After exchanging baskets early in the second half, East Tennessee State used a 7-0 run to build a 14-point lead at 53-39 at the 14:50 mark. The Buccaneers led by as many as 15 at 60-45 before the Trojans were able to get to within 10 at 62-52 at the midway point behind a three from Walker.
Jefferson provided another spark off the bench for the Trojans, scoring eight-straight for Little Rock on back-to-back threes along with a steal in the backcourt, getting the Trojans within eight at 70-62 with 6:14 remaining. After the Bucs went back on top by 11 at 75-64, Little Rock as able to pull to within seven at 78-71 off a floater in the lane by Jefferson.
Down 80-73 with under a minute to go, Smith converted a three on a fast break to get the Trojans to within four at 80-76 with 48 seconds remaining. But the deficit was too much to overcome as the Buccaneers held off the late Trojan rally to hand Little Rock the eight-point loss.
Little Rock now returns home for the lone home game among the seven-game stretch, hosting Jackson State as part of the Indiana Hoosier Classic Sunday. Opening tip at the Jack Stephens Center is set for 6:30 p.m.
#LittleRocksTeam
