| GAME 20 - ULM |
| Date/Time |
Saturday, February 5 | 2 p.m. |
| Location |
Little Rock, Ark. |
| Arena |
Jack Stephens Center |
| Records |
Little Rock (7-12, 2-5Â SBC)
ULM (11-12, 3-8 SBC) |
| Watch |
ESPN+ |
| Listen |
106.7 FM The Buz2 |
| Live Stats |
StatBroadcast |
| Notes |
Little Rock | ULM |
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock concludes its weekend home stand when it plays host to ULM for the final time as league foes. Opening tip against the Warhawks is set for 2 p.m at the Jack Stephens Center with the game streaming live on ESPN+ with Hayden Balgavy and Patrick Newton on the call. Trojan Hall of Famer Ray Tucker will handle the radio broadcast on 106.7 FM The Buz2, getting underway at 1:45 p.m.
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock is in its 31st, and final, season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, posting an all-time record of 265-256 as a member of the league. The Trojans are tied with Arkansas State and Louisiana as the second-longest tenured members of the conference.
• Little Rock and ULM have met 43 times previously with the Trojans holding a 22-20 lead in the all-time series. ULM has won the last three meetings, including the 80-72 win on January 6 in Monroe.
• Little Rock trailed by as many as 14 in the second half in Monroe on January 6 and was down by 10 with 10 minutes to go before rallying back to tie the game. But ULM outscored Little Rock 16-8 down the stretch to pull away.
• The Trojans are 14-6 all-time against Louisiana in Little Rock, winning six of the last seven games. Head coach Darrell Walker is 4-5 all-time against the Warhawks.
• Nikola Maric enters Satturday's game 16 points shy of becoming the 21st member of the Trojan 1,000-point club. Maric is questionable for the game against the Warhawks, missing Thursday's game against Louisiana with a lower body injury.
• Jordan Jefferson had another strong performance, scoring 14 points and going 9-for-9 at the free throw line against Louisiana Thursday with three steals and a block. Jefferson is averaging 13.7 points per game over his last three games.
• Little Rock continues to be plagued by injuries as 11 different Trojans have combined to miss 100 games due to injuries this season. The Trojans are expected to dress nine players against the Warhawks Saturday.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE WARHAWKS
2021-22: 11-12 overall, 3-8 Sun Belt Conference
Last Three Games: W at Arkansas State (60-59); L vs. Georgia State (73-62); L vs. Georgia Southern (50-45)
Head Coach: Keith Richard (ULM, 1982). 12th season at ULM (139-225); 21st season overall (289-342)
Key Players:
• #1 Andre Jones (Gr., G): 13.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 47.0 FG%
• #24 Russell Harrison (Sr., G/F): 13.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 47.2 FG%
• #2 Koreem Ozier (Jr., G): 11.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 42.0 FG%
• #4 Nika Metskhvarishvili (So., F): 10.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 43.7 FG%
• #13 Thomas Howell (Fr., F): 8.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 58.6 FG%
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and ULM meet for the 43rd time Saturday with the Trojans holding a 22-20 all-time lead. ULM won the first meeting between the two this season - an 80-72 win in Monroe on January 6 - for its third-straight victory in the series. The Trojans are 14-6 all-time against the Warhawks in Little Rock, winning six of the last seven meetings.
WE MEET AGAIN
Trailing by as many as 14 in the second half, and by 10 with just under 10 minutes to go, Little Rock staged a furious rally to pull even with ULM late in the second half, but could never get the advantage in an 80-72 loss at Fant Ewing Coliseum on January 6. Nikola Maric paced the Trojans with 24 points and six rebounds and Isaiah Palermo added 19 points and five boards, but ULM's Russell Harrison went off for 28 points and 12 rebounds as the Warhawks shot 57.1% for the game and 50.0% from three.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock held a three point lead in the waning minutes of the first half and trailed by just five at halftime, but was outscored 51-32 in the second half by Louisiana as the Ragin' Cajuns took a 75-51 victory at the Jack Stephens Center Thursday night. Jorddan Jefferson finished in double figures with 14 points and Isaiah Palermo added 11 but the Trojans shot a season-low 29.2% and saw Louisiana use a 26-7 run in the second half to pull away.
CHASING 1,000
Senior Nikola Maric continues to chase down an impressive career milestone. Maric has scored in double figures in nine game this season, upping his career point total to 984 and sitting just 16 points shy of becoming the 21st member of the Trojan 1,000 point club. Maric would be the first to join the club since Will Neighbour in 2014, but is questionable for Saturday's game after sitting out against Louisiana Thursday.
COMING INTO HIS OWN
Jordan Jefferson has been a key contributor as of late for Little Rock, scoring a team-high 14 points against Louisiana Thursday, including going 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Jefferson has scored in double figures in two of the last three games, scoring nine points in the one he missed double figures, while registering three steals in each of the last two games.
DOUBLE FIGURE TROJANS
12 different Trojans have combined for 57 double-figure performances in 2021-22. Jordan Jefferson notched his second double-figure performance of the year, finishing with 14 against Louisiana, while Isaiah Palermo scored 11 for his team-best 11th double-digit output of the year and 15th of his career.
STRUGGLING ON THE BOARDS
Rebounding has been a struggle for the Trojans this year as Little Rock is at -4.6 in rebounds per game on the year and -12.1 on the boards in conference play. Little Rock has been outrebounded in each Sun Belt game this season minus the league opener against Georgia Southern and has been been outrebounded by more than 20 on a pair of occasions - against Texas State (42-20) and against Louisiana (41-18).
PLAYING FROM BEHIND
Little Rock has had to play from behind for the majority of theseason, facing a double-digit deficit in 15 of its 19 games this season. 13 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 100 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 is questionable with a lower body injury as Little Rock has used 12 different starting lineup combinations with 12 different Trojans earning starts due to those injuries. Little Rock is expected to dress just nine players Saturday against ULM.
HOME SWEET HOME
Little Rock is in its 17th season at the Jack Stephens Center as the Trojans have posted a 157-88 (.641) all-time record in their on-campus home, including a 6-4 home record in 2021-22. Little Rock has posted an 88-61 (.591) record against Sun Belt opponents at the Jack Stephens Center, sitting at 2-2 on its home court against league opposition this season.
STRIVING FOR 70
70 poinI ts a game has been the goal for head coach Darrell Walker since arriving at Little Rock and the Trojans have found success when reaching the mark. Under Walker, Little Rock is 35-20 (.636) when scoring 70 or more points and just 14-38 (.269) when it scores 69 points or less.
FAMILIAR FACE
Saturday's game against ULM will mark the third opponent this season Little Rock will face a former player. Little Rock native Andre Jones played for the Trojans from 2016-18 before transferring to Nicholls and then to ULM. Little Rock has also reunited with Ben Coupet Jr. (Southern Illinois) and Kamani Johnson (Arkansas).
LAST TRIP AROUND THE SUN
Little Rock continues its 31st, and final, season in the Sun Belt this weekend, getting set to join the Ohio Valley Conference on July 1, 2022. Joining the league in 1991-92 season, the Trojans are tied with Arkansas State and Louisiana as the second-longest tenured members of the conference with a 265-256 (.509) all-time record, including an 18-16 record against ULM as league opponents.
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