| GAME 15 - TENNESSEE STATE |
| Date/Time |
Saturday, December 31 - 3:30 p.m. |
| Location |
Nashville, Tenn. |
| Arena |
Gentry Center |
| Records |
Little Rock (5-9, 1-0 OVC)
Tennessee State (8-6, 0-1 OVC) |
| Watch |
ESPN+ |
| Listen |
106.7 FM The Buz2 |
| Live Stats |
SideArm Stats |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Tennessee State |
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock goes on the road for the first time in Ohio Valley Conference play, heading to Nashville for a New Year's Eve matinee showdown against Tennessee State. Opening tip against the Tigers is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the Gentry Center, streaming live on ESPN+. Trojan Hall of Famer Ray Tucker will handle the radio call on 106.7 FM The Buz2, beginning at approximately 3:15 p.m.
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock earned an 88-74 victory over UT Martin Thursday in its Ohio Valley Conference opener. The Trojans have won four-straight conference openers under head coach
Darrell Walker.
• Little Rock is 2-1 all-time against Tennessee State, including a 1-0 mark in Nashville. The Trojans bested the Tigers 83-67 at the Gentry Center on November 13, 2018, which is Little Rock's last win in the Volunteer State.
• Little Rock will be playing on New Year's Eve for the eight time since making the transition to Division I, posting a 5-2 mark to ring in the New Year. The last New Year's Eve game was a 71-62 win over ULM on December 31, 2017.
•
Myron Gardner enters Saturday's game among the top-30 nationally in four statistical categories, tied for third in the nation with an OVC-best eight double-doubles. He trails only St. John's Joel Soriano (11) and Purdue's Zach Edey (10).
•
Jordan Jefferson has scored in double figures in six-straight games, scoring 19 against UT Martin Thursday. Since entering the starting lineup five games ago, he is averaging 18.4 points per game while shooting 64.7% from the floor.
•
DeAntoni Gordon registered his third double-double of the year, finishing with 16 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against UT Martin. Gordon ranks second on the team in both field goal (49.6%) and free throw (80.0%) percentage.
• Little Rock ranks 31st nationally in both free throws attempted (22.4) and made (15.9) per game. The Trojans set season-highs in both attempts (38) and made free throws (25) against UT Martin Thursday, shooting 71.2% from the line as a team for the season.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
2022-23: 8-6 overall, 0-1 Ohio Valley Conference
Last Three Games: L vs. Morehead State (83-75), W vs. Brescia (98-83), W vs. Bryan (99-78)
Head Coach: Brian "Penny" Collins (Belmont, 2006). Fifth season at TSU and overall (54-78)
Key Players:
• #4 Jr. Clay (Gr., G): 16.5 ppg, 4.7 apg, 44.5 FG%
• #1 Marcus Fitzgerald (So., G): 14.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 40.0 FG%
• #2 Christian Brown (Jr., F): 14.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 50.0 3FG%
• #10 Adong Makuoi (Gr., C): 9.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 65.1 FG%
• #20 Dedric Boyd (R-Sr., G): 9.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 41.8 FG%
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Tennessee State have met three times previously with the Trojans winning the last two. Both have come under head coach
Darrell Walker, who earned his first road victory at Little Rock with an 83-67 win in Nashville in 2018, followed by an 83-62 win at the Jack Stephens Center in 2019.
LAST TIME OUT
Behind double-doubles from
Myron Gardner and
DeAntoni Gordon and another strong performance from
Jordan Jefferson, Little Rock raced out to a sizable lead and held off a late UT Martin rally in an 88-74 wins over the Skyhawks at Simmons Bank Arena. The Trojans led by 17 at the half and by as many as 27 in the second half, then fought off a late 16-0 run by UT Martin to win its conference opener for the fourth-straight season.
MR. DO IT ALL
Myron Gardner continues to pace Little Rock this season, leading the Ohio Valley Conference with his eighth double-double against UT Martin Thursday. Gardner enters the weekend leading Little Rock in scoring (14.0 ppg), rebounding (9.6 rpg), assists (3.8 apg), steals (1.8 spg) and minutes (31.5 mpg), ranking second in three point (37.3%) and third in free throw percentage (76.0%).
MYRON AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Myron Gardner enters Saturday's game ranked among the top-30 nationally in four statistical categories, sitting among the top-10 of Ohio Valley Conference players in six categories.
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| Category |
Stat |
OVC |
NCAA |
| Double-Doubles |
8 |
1st |
T-3rd |
| Total Rebounds |
134 |
1st |
14th |
| Rebounds/Game |
9.6 |
1st |
2nd |
| Defensive Rebounds/Game |
6.71 |
1st |
29th |
HEATING UP
Jordan Jefferson finished in double figures for the sixth-straight game, scoring 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting against UT Martin Thursday. Jefferson has provided a spark since entering the starting lineup five games ago, shooting 64.7% from the floor (33-of-51) and averaging 18.4 points during that span.
ADDING CONSISTENCY
DeAntoni Gordon notched his third double-double of the year with a 16-point, 12-rebound performance against UT Martin Thursday. Gordon ranks third on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.6 rpg), sitting second on the team in both field goal percentage (49.6%) and free throw percentage (80.0%) with 10 games in double figures.
DOUBLE FIGURE TROJANS
Nine different Trojans have combined for 50 double figure games this season as Myron Gardner (23), Jordan Jefferson (19), DeAntoni Gordon (16) and Chris Walker (11) each did so against UT Martin. Gardner's 21 career games of reaching double figures is the most on the active roster, doing so in 21 of his 30 games in a Trojan uniform (70.0%), followed by Gordon reaching the feat in 14 of his 22 games in Little Rock (63.7%).
STRUGGLES ON THE ROAD
Little Rock has is still searching for its first road victory of the year, sitting at 0-9 in 2022-23. The Trojans have dropped 11-straight true road games, dating back to the 66-62 win at Troy on February 12, 2022. Little Rock does have a pair of wins away from the Jack Stephens Center during that stretch, defeating South Alabama in Pensacola, Florida at the Sun Belt Tournament and besting UT Martin Thursday at Simmons Bank Arena.
BACK TO THE VOLUNTEER STATE
Little Rock returns to Tennessee for the third of five games in the Volunteer State this year, falling at East Tennessee State on November 17 and at Memphis on December 6. Little Rock's last win in the state of Tennessee was the 83-67 win over Tennessee State in Nashville on November 13, 2018.
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