JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Little Rock held a first half lead and battled Jacksonville State for the majority of the first half. But extended scoring droughts in both the first and second halves allowed the Gamecocks to take control in a 72-62 loss at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
The loss came despite another strong effort from
Myron Gardner, who led the team with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three point range, with three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Gardner was also 3-for-4 from the free throw line for his second 20-point performance of the year.
Jordan Jefferson continues to come on strong, scoring 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-5 from the free throw line, with three rebounds.
But they were the only two Trojans to finish in double figures as
DeAntoni Gordon notched nine points with four rebounds.
Ethan Speaker added eight points and a team-high five rebounds off the bench.
Little Rock ended the game shooting 40.0% from the floor (20-of-50), while making just 5-of-22 from three point range (22.7%). The Trojans were efficient from the free throw line, knocking down 17-of-21 (81.0%).
But Jacksonville State dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Trojans 40-25 with a 14-5 edge in offensive boards, leading to a 19-11 edge in second chance points. The Gamecocks shot 44.8% from the game but were just 23.8% from three point range (5-of-21) as Little Rock was able to limit Jacksonville State's strength.
As in similar games this season, Jacksonville State raced out quickly, scoring the first six points of the game to take the early advantage. Trailing by five at 10-5 at the 15:14 mark, Little Rock put together a 10-2 run, including back-to-back threes from Gardner, to claim its first lead of the game at 15-12 with just over 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
It was a tightly contested first half for the majority after that as the Trojans and Gamecocks combined for five ties and four lead changes. Six-straight points for Jefferson over a minute and a half span gave Little Rock the 23-21 lead with 5:55 to play.
But those would be the last points the Trojans would score in the opening half, going scoreless over the final six minutes and missing their last seven shots as Jacksonville State used a 9-0 run to take a 30-23 lead into intermission.
Both teams struggled from three point range, going a combined 3-for-23, as Little Rock was 2-of-12 beyond the arc while hitting 36.0% of its shots in the first half, limiting Jacksonville State to 1-of-11 from three-point range.
Gardner and Jefferson combined for 17 of Little Rock's 23 first half points with Gardner leading the Trojans with nine. Gordon added four points while Speaker pulled down a team-best five rebounds.
Smith ended the scoring drought early in the second half with a three off a steal, cutting the deficit to four at 30-26, but Jacksonville State responded with six-straight points which jump started a 12-2 run over the next four minutes as the Gamecocks built a 14-point lead at 42-28 with 15 minutes to go.
After Jacksonville State extended its lead to 17 at 50-33, Little Rock responded with a 7-0 run to trim the lead to 10 at 50-40, then again at 54-44 as Gardner had four during that stretch. Free throws kept Little Rock in the game in the second half, making six-straight to cut the deficit to nine on a pair of occasions, including at 57-48 with 8:20 remaining.
But the Trojans were unable to cut into the deficit any further as the Gamecocks kept the lead above double digits for the remainder of the game, holding off a final late Little Rock charge that cut the final deficit to 10. Both teams shot better in the second half as Little Rock hit 44.0% from the floor, contrasted by 50.0% for Jacksonville State.
Gardner scored 11 of his 20 points over the final 20 minutes while Jefferson and Speaker each added six in the second half. But the Gamecocks' Skyelar Potter scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half for Jacksonville State, helping the Gamecocks pull away for the victory.
Little Rock now returns to the Natural State for three-straight games, two of which will be at home. That stretch begins Tuesday when the Trojans host Central Arkansas at the Jack Stephens Center, tipping at 6:30 p.m. in the Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield Governor's I-40 Showdown.
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