EVANSVILLE, Ind. – DeAntoni Gordon posted a career-high 20 points and Little Rock pulled to within one in the waning minutes at Southern Indiana. But once again, the Trojans couldn't get over the hump, falling 74-67 at Screaming Eagles Arena on ESPNU.
Gordon's 20 points came on 7-of-14 shooting as he was also 5-of-6 from the free throw line, becoming the fourth different Trojan to score at least 20 points in a game this season. Gordon also added five rebounds as he was joined in the double-digit club by
Myron Gardner, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds with three assists and a pair of steals.
But they were the lone Trojans to reach double figures on the night as
CJ White flirted with a double-double, finishing with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds with a pair of assists.
Nigel John finished with eight points and three boars while
Isaiah Palermo added seven points.
Little Rock struggled from the field as well, finishing 24-of-61 for 39.3% while connecting on 7-of-17 from three point range (41.2%). The Trojans remained solid at the free throw line, knocking down 12 of 15, but were outrebounded 46-34 on the night as the Screaming Eagles had a pair of players finish with double-digit boards.
Southern Indiana finished the game 25-of-60 (41.7%), making 11 of its 30 three point attempts (36.7%). The Eagles were just 13-of-27 from the charity stripe (48.1%), allowing Little Rock to keep it close throughout.
Once again, Little Rock fall itself fall behind as Southern Indiana raced out to an early seven point lead at 10-3, putting the Trojans in a hole early. Trailing 19-13 at the 12:41 mark, the Trojans strung together a 10-0 run, flipping the lead into a 23-19 advantage at the 8:35 mark, sparked by both Gordon and White.
The Trojans extended their lead to five at 25-20, but watched as the Screaming Eagles respond with a 17-4 run of its own to rebuild an eight-point lead at 37-29 with just over two minutes to go in the half. A big three from White and a pair of free throws from Palermo helped the Trojans narrow the deficit to 40-36 at the break.
Little Rock responded with a modest run to open the second half, outscoring Southern Indiana 10-5 to reclaim the lead at 46-45 with just under three minutes gone. The Eagles would slowly extend their lead back to eight at 58-50 at the midway point of the half, and would lead by six before a 6-0 run by the Trojans pulled Little Rock even at 59-59 with 7:20 remaining.
Another Eagle run pushed the lead back to six, the second of which came at 70-64 with just under two minutes to play. A key three from Palermo with 1:33 to go trimmed the deficit to one possession at 70-67, but a big three from Southern Indiana well beyond the three point arc with 46 seconds to go proved to be the dagger as the Eagles would push its final margin to seven at 74-67.
Three Eagles finished in double figures, led by Trevor Lakes finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds while Jacob Polakovich notching 16 points and 14 rebounds, including six offensive. Isaiah Swope finished with 19 points as well for Southern Indiana.
Little Rock now heads to Charleston, Illinois, still in search of its first road victory of the year. The Trojans will take on Eastern Illinois Saturday, tipping at 3:30 p.m. from Lantz Arena.
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