MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Chris Walker set a new career-high with 18 points and
Myron Gardner added 16 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the year. But a cold shooting night from beyond the arc proved costly for Little Rock in a 87-71 loss to Memphis at the FedEx Forum.
Walker's career-high came on 6-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three-point range, with four assists and a pair of rebounds. Gardner's 16 points came on 6-of-13 shooting from the floor as he added his 10 rebounds and three assists, making a pair of threes as well.
Jordan Jefferson was the third Trojan to finish in double figures, scoring 10 off the bench after going 2-for-7 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the free throw line.
D.J. Smith added eight points, six rebounds and four assists while
DeAntoni Gordon finished with six points and six assists.
Nine of the 10 Trojans that played in the game registered at least two points and eight of them attempted at least one three pointer as Little Rock put up a 33 three point attempts, making eight (24.2%). The 33 three point attempts is the most in a single game in program history, surpassing the 32 attempted against Centenary in 2015.
For the game, Little Rock was 25-of-70 from the floor, shooting 35.7% as the 70 attempts was a new season-high, while going 13-of-17 (76.5%) from the free throw line. But that was matched by a hot-shooting Memphis team that hit 54.0% of its shots (34-of-63) and was 6-of-12 from three point range (50.0%) and 13-of-19 from the free throw line (68.4%).
The Trojans and Tigers finished even in rebounding at 37 apiece but Little Rock had 16 offensive boards, leading to a 16-12 edge in second chance points. But Memphis dominated in points in the paint, outscoring Little Rock 50-28, while holding a 25-18 edge in points off turnovers after forcing 17 Trojan giveaways.
Little Rock came out firing from long range in the early going, putting up 12 three pointers out of its first 18 shots, but none of them fell. Memphis took advantage of the cold shooting, using a 7-0 run over a 42 second span, followed by an 11-0 run after the Trojans closed the gap to 9-8, building a 12-point lead at 20-8 at the midway point of the opening half.
Memphis extended its lead to 18 at 32-14, pushing its run 23-6, before the Trojans started finding their three-point shot. Little Rock knocked down threes on three-straight possessions, including a pair from Walker, but the Tigers answered on the offensive end as the Trojans were only able to pull to within 13 at 36-23.
Little Rock and Memphis exchanged baskets over the final five minutes with the Tiger taking a 46-30 lead into halftime. All nine Trojan players that saw the court in the opening 20 minutes scored, led by seven from Gardner and six from Walker, but Little Rock was just 12-of-34 from the floor (35.3%), making 4-of-20 (20.0%) from three point range. That was contrasted by 51.4% shooting for Memphis, including an 18-2 edge in points off turnovers as the Trojans committed 11 in the first half.
Little Rock came out strong in the second half, making four of its first five shots, including five for Walker. But the Trojans weren't able to cut into the Tiger lead as Memphis answered with each possession, keeping the lead at 14 at 55-41 with 14:19 remaining in the game.
Memphis then began to pull away, using a 9-0 run in less than two minutes to push its lead to 23 a 64-41 with 11:44 remaining. That was answered by 7-0 run for the Trojans over the next 1:40, trimming the deficit down to 16 at 64-48 at the midway point of the second half, including an and-one from Smith.
The Trojans were able to get to within 14 at 76-62 off a three from Walker and a pair of free throws from Gordon, but that was as close as Little Rock was able to get to the upset as Memphis kept it at bay down the stretch to pull away for the 87-71 victory.
Little Rock shot slightly better in the second half, going 13-of-36 from the floor (36.1%) but still struggled beyond the arc, knocking down just 4-of-13 attempts (30.8%) while turning the ball over just six times. Walker had 12 in the final 20 minutes while Gardner added nine points and eight rebounds. The Tigers shot 57.1% from the floor over the final 20 minutes, making 2-of-3 three pointers.
Little Rock falls to 2-7 on the year and 0-7 in road games, extending its road losing skid to nine games. The Trojans are now 0-9 all-time against Memphis.
After a lengthy road trip, Little Rock finally returns to the Jack Stephens Center Monday to face cross town foe Philander Smith. Opening tip against the Panthers is set for 6:30 p.m.
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