TROY, Ala. – Little Rock put together one of its most complete games of the season, building a second half advantage and never letting up, handing Troy the 66-62 loss in its final trip to Trojan Arena.
The effort was led by a career game by
Jovan Stulic, who tied his career high with 18 points and set a new career high with eight rebounds, coming off the bench to provide the spark for the Trojans. Stulic was 7-of-9 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from three point range, going 1-for-2 from the free throw line.
Stulic was one of three Trojans to finish in double figures, followed by a 15-point performance from
D.J. Smith who was 5-of-7 from the floor, hitting both of his three point attempts, and 3-for-3 from the free throw line to help seal the victory down the stretch.
Myron Gardner finished with 13 points as well with five boards and three assists for Little Rock with
Jordan Jefferson adding nine points, followed by six from
Isaiah Palermo and five from
Kevin Osawe.
For the game, Little Rock shot 22-of-47 from the floor (46.8%), knocking down 10-of-23 three point attempts as seven different Trojans made at least one from beyond the arc. Little Rock was 12-of-18 from the line, but made key free throws down the stretch. The Trojans forced 12 Troy turnovers, holding an 18-9 point advantage off those giveaways.
Following the tough loss Thursday in Mobile, Little Rock came out much more efficient against Troy to keep the game close early. A 7-2 run early gave Little rock the early 7-4 lead, matched by a 7-0 run by Troy over a two minute span as the Alabama Trojans reclaimed the lead at 11-7 at the 13:03 mark.
Little Rock's shooting touch then came alive, especially from beyond the arc as five different Trojans made three pointers during a run which saw Little Rock build a seven point lead at 27-20, knocking down 8 of 10 shots from the floor. Stulic came off the bench to spark the offensive surge, scoring 11 of the Trojans' next 20 points.
Holding a 29-22 lead at the 5:00 mark, Troy went on a 7-0 run that took just 42 seconds, tying the game at 29-29 with 4:18 remaining before both teams went cold from the floor. Little Rock went 1-for-7 over the final four minutes while Troy went 0-for-7 as free throws from Palermo and Stulic pulled Little Rock even with Troy at 31-31 at halftime.
Little Rock shot 44.0% over the opening 20 minutes, going 5-of-11 from three point range, led by 12 points from Stulic. Troy held a 19-12 rebounding edge, but Little Rock committed just five turnovers, holding a 7-2 edge in points off those turnovers.
It was a back-and-forth battle early in the second half as neither team was able to build more than a three point lead for the first seven minutes. Trailing 42-39, Little Rock put together a 16-5 run spanning nearly six minutes, building its largest lead of the game at 55-47 off four-straight threes from Stulic, Smith and Gardner, making key defensive stops.
Troy responded with a 7-0 burst over a minute and a half, forcing a pair of Little Rock turnovers during that span, pulling to within one at 55-54 at the 6:30 mark. But Troy never reclaimed the lead as Little Rock made key free throws and defensive stops down the stretch, holding off the Alabama Trojans for the 66-62 victory.
Little Rock shot 50% from the floor over the final 20 minutes, making 11-of-22, but were sparked by the three point shot, making 5-of-12 in the second half while going 8-for-12 from the free throw line.
Troy shot 37.5% for the game and 27.3% from three point range, making just six of its 22 three point attempts. The Alabama Trojans were led by 14 points from Christyon Eugene and 11 from TK Smith.
The win for Little Rock snaps a five-game losing streak and gives the Trojans its first true road win of the season, snapping an eight-game skid this season and a 14-game streak overall. Little Rock improves to 16-10 all-time against Troy, closing out its time as a Sun Belt member with an 8-5 all-time record in Troy.
Little Rock continues its four-game road swing in Texas next week, beginning with the showdown with UT Arlington Thursday at 7 p.m. at College Park Center.
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