LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Fresh off a resounding rout of Arkansas State on Sunday, Little Rock will look to keep the momentum going as it wraps up non-conference play Wednesday with a 1 p.m. tip-off in Springfield, Missouri.
The game, which will air live on ESPN+ and on the Little Rock Sports Network (920 AM The Sports Animal), pits two teams that have faced multiple P5 challenges in their non-conference schedules.
Series History
- This will be the 18th meeting between the Trojans and the Lady Bears in a series that dates back to the 1986-87 season.
- When the series began, Van Compton was head coach of the Little Rock women's basketball program. She just completed her 35th season as head coach of the Trojans volleyball program and has more than 630 career wins.
- This will be the first meeting between the two programs in Springfield since 2017.
- MSU holds a 13-4 advantage after last year's contest in Little Rock.
- Last season's 76-62 win by Missouri State marked the first time either team scored more than 65 points in the series since 2013.
Five Things to Know
- Newcomer vs. Newcomer
Wednesday's game between Little Rock and Missouri State will pit a battle of two standout newcomers. Little Rock's Nikki Metcalfe was named the Ohio Valley Conference's Newcomer of the Week Tuesday morning while Missouri State's Kennedy Taylor was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Newcomer of the Week on Monday. Metcalfe was named the OVC Newcomer of the Week after averaging 15 points, five rebounds and three blocks against Alabama and Arkansas State last week while Taylor was named MVC Newcomer of the Week after a career-high 23 points and three steals in a win over UT Martin on Saturday, while going 8-for-13 (.615) from the field and 7-for-10 (.700) from the free throw line in just under 22 minutes on the floor.
- Is Metcalfe a Fan of Legos?
We assume so because she likes playing with blocks. Nikki Metcalfe enters this game ranked 66th nationally and leading the OVC with 1.50 blocks per game while her 15 total blocks this season ranks her 85th nationally and also leads the OVC. She has recorded a block in every single game except one this year and registered a season-high five blocks against Arkansas State on Dec. 18, a number that ties for the most blocks in a single game any OVC player has recorded this year and ties for the fifth-most in school history.
- Trojan Tandem on the Boards
If the ball doesn't drop through the net (and we've seen that a bit this year), Little Rock has a tandem of players that are relentless on the boards to give the Trojans a second chance, or to take away a second chance from opponents. Entering this game, Jaiyah Harris-Smith ranks 4th in the OVC in rebounds per game (6.80) while Angelique Francis ranks sixth (6.25). That makes Little Rock the only team in the OVC with multiple players ranked so high on the conference leaderboard while Southern Indiana and Tennessee State are the only other schools with multiple players in the top 10.
- So Much for This Being the Season of Giving
With Hanukkah underway and Christmas right around the corner, you'd think with this being the Season of Giving that these two teams would be appreciative and accepting of gifts. Not so fast, my friend. Both Little Rock (345th) and Missouri State (324th) rank near the bottom of the nation in free throw percentage this season. The Trojans are shooting 57.8% from the charity stripe while the Lady Bears are shooting 62.0%.
- Jack Squat
Little Rock extended a nearly two decades-long streak on Dec. 18 and Arkansas State was reminded why the Jack Stephens Center is nothing more than a House of Horrors. With the Trojans' 60-44 win over the rival Red Wolves, Little Rock won its 18th consecutive home game against A-State and kept them winless all-time at the Jack Stephens Center. ASU had entered the game averaging over 72 ppg but was held to season lows in points scored, field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage as Little Rock used a 13-0 run early in the second half to put the game out of reach.
'Tis The Season
- Since this is the final game before the holidays, we present to you some awesome holiday facts as our gift to you!
- Buying all the gifts from the "12 Days of Christmas" would cost you a ton of money - the most expensive being the seven swans, which would be about $6,300. You'd also have 23 birds.
- Paul McCartney earns $400,000 a year from his "Wonderful Christmastime" song, widely regarded as the worst song he ever recorded.
- Festivus, made popular by NBC's Seinfeld, actually was invented by a former Reader's Digest editor and originated as a first-date anniversary. It begins with dinner, followed by the "airing of grievances" and doesn't end until the head of household is pinned during the "feats of strength" portion.
- Silent Night" Inspired A Truce During World War I. On Christmas Eve 1914 —British troops spotted Christmas trees on the German side of the fight. Then they heard soldiers singing "Stille Nacht." They responded by singing the English lyrics. Eventually, the troops emerged from the trenches to meet, exchange gifts, and even play soccer together. Fighting resumed on December 26.
- "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," and "Holly Jolly Christmas" were all written by Johnny Marks, who was Jewish. The proudly Jewish Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas." And "Let It Snow"? "The Christmas Song" was written by Mel Torme, and yes, he was Jewish. In fact, Torme released an entire album of Christmas tunes in the 1990s.
- "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is a really old song! It gained popularity in the 18th century, which would make it pretty old today. But its origins are even further back. The song, originally in Latin, was penned around the ninth century.
- "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" – Thurl Ravenscroft ,The singing voice of the Grinch, was also the voice of the Frosted Flakes cereal mascot, Tony the Tiger, for almost 50 years. That's Greatttt!
- Mel Tormé's "The Christmas Song" (more commonly known as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") was ironically written during a summer heatwave in 1944.
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