Final Surge Falls Short in Quarterfinal Loss to Troy

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Nikola Maric nearly had a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds and Jordan Jefferson scored 17 points but Little Rock's final surge wasn't quite enough as the Trojans were eliminated from the Sun Belt Tournament Saturday in a 69-62 loss to Troy.
 
Trailing by as much as 14 early in the second half, Little Rock (9-19) fought back to force a 58-58 tie with 1:52 remaining thanks to a pair of C.J. White free throws. After Troy (20-10) hit a 3-pointer, White then got his own rebound on a missed 3-pointer that would have tied it and immediately dished it out to Jordan Jefferson, cutting Troy's lead to 61-60.
 
The Alabama-based Trojans then went on a 5-0 run, pulling ahead 66-60, courtesy of a pair of free throws by Kieffer Punter and then a traditional 3-point play by Efe Odigie, who led Troy with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jefferson laid it in with seven seconds to go but Troy hit 3 of their 4 final free throws in the waning seconds to clinch the win.
 
Little Rock shot 46% from the field in the game but was cold in the first half, trailing by 11 at intermission after only shooting 37%. Troy shot 41.7% for the game but was limited to 39.1% shooting in the second half as Little Rock applied more pressure early on.
 
Maric was a force in the lane, leading Little Rock to 28 points in the paint and 29 total rebounds while also dishing out a team-high four assists. White also dished out four assists while also leading Little Rock with four steals.
 
The loss brings a close to the 2021-22 season for Little Rock Basketball as well as its storied tenure in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans will begin play in the Ohio Valley Conference next season.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Basketball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockMBB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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