| GAME 24 - TEXAS STATE |
| Date/Time |
Saturday, February 19 - 4 p.m. |
| Location |
San Marcos, Texas |
| Arena |
Strahan Arena |
| Records |
Little Rock (8-15, 3-8 SBC)
Texas State (18-6, 9-3 SBC) |
| Watch |
ESPN+ |
| Listen |
106.7 FM The Buz2 |
| Live Stats |
StatBroadcast |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Texas State |
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock concludes its four-game road trip with the final trip to Texas as a league member, taking on Texas State Saturday. Opening tip against the Bobcats is set for 4 p.m. at Strahan Arena in San Marcos, streaming live on ESPN+. Trojan Hall of Famer Ray Tucker will have the radio call on 106.7 FM The Buz2, beginning at 3:45 p.m.
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock concludes a stretch of six of eight games on the road, traveling to the Carolinas, Alabama and Texas. Once they return to Little Rock, the Trojans will travel approximately 4,500 miles, spending time in seven different states over four weeks.
• Little Rock and Texas State meet for the 22nd time Saturday with the Bobcats holding a 12-9 series lead. Texas State has won six-straight against Little Rock and 10 of the last 11 with the Trojans' last win in San Marcos coming in 2016.
• Little Rock continues to struggle west of the 501 area code, posting a 1-20 mark since the start of the 2017-18 season, including a 1-16 record in the state of Texas.
•
Myron Gardner registered his best game in a Trojan uniform at UT Arlington Thursday, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds. He became the fifth different Trojan to notch a double-double, joining C.J. White,
Nikola Maric,
Isaiah Palermo and
D.J. Smith.
• Little Rock used its 15th different starting lineup at UT Arlington Thursday, ranking among the top-five nationally for most starting lineup combinations.
• 11 different Trojans have combined to miss 120 games due to injuries this season. The Trojans are expected to dress nine players at Texas State Saturday after seven played at UTA Thursday.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
2021-22: 18-6 overall, 9-3 Sun Belt Conference
Last Three Games: W vs. Arkansas State (84-67); W at ULM (63-54); W at Louisiana (82-73)
Head Coach: Terrence Johnson (Southern, 2001). Second season at TXST (36-13); second season overall
Key Players:
• #5 Caleb Asberry (Sr., G): 13.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 42.8 FG%
• #1 Isiah Small (Sr., F): 11.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 47.1 FG%
• #12 Mason Harrell (Sr., G): 11.1 ppg, 3.2 apg, 85.5 FT%
• #4 Shelby Adams (Sr., G): 9.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 52.8 FG%
• #22 Nighael Ceasar (Sr., F): 8.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 58.3 FG%
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Texas State meet for the 22nd time with the Bobcats holding a 12-9 edge in the all-time series. Texas State has had the upper hand in recent years, winning six-straight in the series and 10 of the last 11. Little Rock is 3-7 all-time at Strahan Arena, seeking its first win in San Marcos since the 77-74 double overtime win in 2016, a span of five-straight wins for the Bobcats on its home court.
LAST WE MET
Texas State used a surge late in the first half to put Little Rock in a 19-point deficit, one that was too much to overcome in a 69-59 loss to the Bobcats on January 20 at the Jack Stephens Center. Three Trojans finished in double figures, led by 13 points from both
Myron Gardner and
CJ White and 10 points off the bench from
D.J. Smith. The Bobcats used a 42-20 rebounding edge to pull away, including a 12-4 edge on the offensive glass.
LAST TIME OUT
Myron Gardner put together his best game in a Trojan uniform, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, but a sluggish start and 18 turnovers proved costly in an 85-70 loss at UT Arlington Thursday. The Trojans shot 50% from the floor, but UTA held a 26-11 edge in points off turnovers to pull away in the second half.
50 FOR WALKER
Little Rock's 66-62 win at Troy Saturday marked head coach
Darrell Walker's 50th win on the Little Rock sideline, sitting at 50-61 in his fourth season. Walker upped his career coaching record to 96-79 as he holds a unique distinction as the only coach in the nation that has been a head coach at the NBA, WNBA, Division II and Division I levels.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROJANS
Myron Gardner finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds at UT Arlington Thursday, becoming the fifth different Trojan to notch a double-double this season. Gardner joins
CJ White,
Nikola Maric,
Isaiah Palermo and
D.J. Smith in the double-double club this season, while his 24 points is tied for the fourth-most in a game by a Trojan this season.
STULIC COMING UP STRONG
Junior
Jovan Stulic has been a key component for the Trojans over the last two games. Stulic finished with 17 points at UT Arlington Thursday, going 6-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-7 from three point range. Over the last two games, Stulic has scored 35 points, shooting 68.4% from the floor (13-of-19) and 63.6% from three point range (7-of-11), giving him seven games in double figures this season.
COMING INTO HIS OWN
Freshman
Jordan Jefferson finished with 14 points at UT Arlington Thursday, making four of his six shots from beyond the arc. It was the fourth double-figure performance in the last seven games for Jefferson, who leads the Trojans during that stretch averaging 12.4 points while making 15 three pointers and 20 free throws, the most on the team during that span.
IRONMAN
Since rejoining the starting lineup five games ago, freshman
D.J. Smith has been a mainstay on the court for the Trojans. During those five games, Smith has played 196 of the 205 minutes, averaging 39.2 minutes per game, including playing all 40 minutes in each of the last two games. The freshman dished out eight assists at UT Arlington Thursday, tying a career high.
DOUBLE FIGURE TROJANS
13 different Trojans have combined for 69 double-figure performances in 2021-22.
Myron Gardner (24 pts.),
Jovan Stulic (17 pts.) and
Jordan Jefferson (14 pts.) each finished in double figures at UT Arlington Thursday as
Isaiah Palermo leads the team in 2021-22, reaching double figures 13 times in 22 games played.
PLAYING FROM BEHIND
Little Rock has had to play from behind for the majority of the season, facing a double-digit deficit in 17 of its 23 games this season. 15 of those games have seen the Trojans trailing by 10 or more in the second half as Little Rock has rallied to win three of those games this season.
SHORTHANDED TROJANS
Injuries have played a major factor for the Trojans as 11 different players have combined for 120 missed games this season.
Chris Walker,
DeAntoni Gordon,
Marko Andric and
Ethan Speaker are all expected to miss the remainder of the season and
Nikola Maric didn't make the Texas trip with a lower body injury.
FINDING THE RIGHT COMBINATION
Because of the injuries sustained by Little Rock this season, the Trojans have had 15 different starting lineup combinations this season through 23 games.
Isaiah Palermo has the most starts among the Trojans with 18 games started this season, followed by the 15 starts by freshman
D.J. Smith.
WESTWARD WOES
Heading west has been a tough venture for Little Rock in recent years as the Trojans are just 1-20 in games played west of the 501 area code since the start of the 2017-18 season. Little Rock has especially struggled in the state of Texas, posting a 1-16 record in the Lone Star state during that span.
LAST TRIP AROUND THE SUN
Little Rock continues its 31st, and final, season in the Sun Belt this weekend, making its final trip as league members to Texas. Joining the conference in 1991-92 season, the Trojans are tied with Arkansas State and Louisiana as the second-longest tenured members of the conference Little Rock will officially leave the Sun Belt and join the Ohio Valley Conference on July 1, 2022.
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