| GAME 2 - ARKANSAS BAPTIST |
| Date/Time |
Thursday, Nov. 10 - 7:30 p.m. |
| Location |
Little Rock, Ark. |
| Arena |
Jack Stephens Center |
| Records |
Little Rock (0-1, 0-0 OVC)
Arkansas Baptist (3-3, 0-0 CAA) |
| Watch |
ESPN+ |
| Listen |
106.7 FM The Buz2 |
| Live Stats |
StatBroadcast |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Arkansas Baptist |
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock opens its 2022-23 home schedule Thursday night, facing Arkansas Baptist at 7:30 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center as part of a Homecoming doubleheader. The game will stream live on ESPN+ with Dorian Craft and Patrick Newton handling announcer duties while Trojan Hall of Famer Ray Tucker handles the radio call on 106.7 The Buz2.
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock begins its 18th season of basketball at the Jack Stephens Center Thursday night with an overall record of 157-91 in its on-campus home.
• Little Rock is 40-3 all-time in home-openers since making the move to Division I in the 1978-79 season and has won all four under head coach
Darrell Walker. The Trojans are 15-2 in home openers at the Jack Stephens Center.
• Head coach
Darrell Walker is 14-6 all-time against non-conference opponents at the Jack Stephens Center as the Trojans have won 11 of the last 14 against non-league foes.
• Little Rock and Arkansas Baptist meet for just the second time in program history despite being separated by just 3.3 miles. The Trojans used a strong second half to defeat the Buffaloes 91-60 at the Jack Stephens Center on November 14, 2021.
• Little Rock was picked to finish sixth in the preseason Ohio Valley Conference poll, garnering 102 total points to finish nine points back of fifth-place SIU Edwardsville and 36 back of preseason favorite Morehead State.
•
D.J. Smith's 21 points Monday night was the most for Little Rock in a season-opener since Markquis Nowell's 34 to start the 2018-19 season. Smith eclipsed 20 points for the second time in his career.
•
Myron Gardner ranks 12th nationally after opening night in free throw attempts per game, shooting 11 free throws in the season-opening loss at Southern Illinois Monday.
• There will be a family affair Thursday night as Arkansas Baptist head coach Eric Bozeman is the father of former Trojan standout Solomon Bozeman. Solomon was the 2010-11 Sun Belt Player of the Year and was an assistant coach for the Trojans for two seasons before taking over as head coach at UA-Pine Bluff.
NEWS AND NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
D.J. Smith lead all players with 21 points, going 9-for-16 from the floor, but an early deficit proved costly as Southern Illinois led by as many as 30 in the first half and 34 in the second, cruising past Little Rock for the 94-63 win at Banterra Center in the 2022-23 season opener. It marked the first season-opening loss for head coach
Darrell Walker in his five years in Little Rock.
LAST WE MET
Leading by seven at halftime, Little Rock outscored Arkansas Baptist 46-22 in the second half to pull away for a 91-60 victory over the Buffaloes at the Jack Stephens Center in the first-ever meeting between the cross-town foes. Five Trojans finished in double figures with returners
Jovan Stulic,
DeAntoni Gordon and
CJ White combining for 37 points while former Trojan Nikola Maric notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.
TROJANS IN HOME OPENERS
Since the move to Division I, Little Rock has been tough to beat in its first home game of the season. The Trojans are 40-3 (.930) in home openers since making the transition in the 1978-79 season with their only losses coming at the hands of Oklahoma State (1999), North Florida (2013) and Ouachita Baptist (2017)
BACK IN THE JACK
Little Rock begins its 18th season at the Jack Stephens Center where the Trojans are 157-91 (.633), coming off a 6-7 record in 2021-22. Little Rock has posted a winning record in 14 of its 17 seasons at the Jack as the Trojans are 15-2 in home openers, winning all four under head coach
Darrell Walker.
VETERAN LEADERSHIP
Little Rock returns a pair of fourth-year seniors in
Isaiah Palermo and
Jovan Stulic in what is becoming more of a rarity in college basketball. The duo has combined to play in 152 games with 86 career starts, playing 3,133 minutes in Trojan uniforms. Stulic is the top Trojan returner in both field goal % (51.4) and three-point % (43.8) while Palermo is Little Rock's top returning scorer (10.8 ppg), ranking third in field goal % (46.4).
STRONG START FOR D.J.
Sophomore
D.J. Smith was the bright spot for Little Rock in the season-opener at Southern Illinois, leading all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting and playing a team-best 34 minutes. The 21 points for Smith is the most by a Trojan in a season-opener since Markquis Nowell's 34 points against Southeastern Oklahoma State in 2018 and was his second career 20-point game, shy of his 27 points against UTA last season.
WELCOME BACK D.A.
DeAntoni Gordon saw his first action in nearly a year, scoring 10 points with five rebounds and a pair of steals against Southern Illinois Monday night. Gordon was averaging 10.4 points and shooting 48.6% from the floor through the first eight games of 2021-22 before suffering a season-ending knee injury at Colorado State on December 1.
MAKING HIS PRESENCE FELT
While he struggled offensively, shooting just 2-for-9 from the floor,
Myron Gardner made his presence felt in other ways Monday night in Carbondale. Gardner led the team in rebounds (six) and steals (four) while adding two assists and a block to complement his nine points in 25 minutes of action.
TROJAN DEBUTS
Four different Trojans made their Little Rock debuts in Monday's season opener, led by sophomore
Nigel John making his first career start and finishing with four points and five rebounds in 21 minutes.
Chris Walker,
Ante Beljan and
Daniel Egbuniwe all contributed off the bench with Walker playing 26 minutes, Beljan logging five and Egbuniwe playing just shy of four, hitting his first career three-pointer.
BALL CONTROL
While the outcome wasn't what Little Rock wanted Monday night in Carbondale, one stat provided a sense of optimism for head coach
Darrell Walker. Little Rock turned the ball over just seven times against the Salukis, its lowest since a pair of games in 2021-22, while forcing 19 from Southern Illinois, leading to an 18-6 edge in points off turnovers.
NATURAL STATE FOE
Thursday's game against Arkansas Baptist marks the first of five games against opponents from the state of Arkansas for the Trojans this year. Head coach
Darrell Walker is 8-8 against opponents from the Natural State during his time in Little Rock, including a 1-0 record against the Buffaloes.
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
Arkansas Baptist won't have to come far to suit up for Thursday's game at the Jack Stephens Center as the Buffaloes will travel just 3.3 miles - the closest of any opponent in program history. Arkansas Baptist is one of three home opponents that will travel less than 35 miles for a road game at the Jack this year.
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