| GAME 20 - TENNESSEE TECH |
| Date/Time |
Thursday, January 19 - 7:30 p.m. |
| Location |
Little Rock, Ark. |
| Arena |
Jack Stephens Center |
| Records |
Little Rock (5-14, 1-5 OVC)
Tennessee Tech (8-11, 4-2 OVC) |
| Watch |
ESPN+ |
| Listen |
106.7 FM The Buz2 |
| Live Stats |
StatBroadcast |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Tennessee Tech |
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock returns to the Jack Stephens Center for the first-ever meeting with Tennessee Tech Thursday, January 19, tipping at 7:30 p.m. The game will stream live on ESPN+ with Dorian Craft and Patrick Newton on the call while Trojan Hall of Famer Ray Tucker handles the radio broadcast on 106.7 FM The Buz2, starting at approximately 7:15 p.m.
GAME STORYLINES
• Tennessee Tech is the fifth of seven teams Little Rock is facing for the first time in 2022-23. The Trojans had their first games against Miami (Ohio), San Francisco, Lindenwood and Southern Indiana and are awaiting their first dates with Morehead State and SIU Edwardsville.
• Thursday's game is a meeting between two teams going in opposite directions. Tennessee Tech is the hottest team in the Ohio Valley Conference, winning four-straight games, while the Trojans have lost five-straight league games.
•
Myron Gardner enters Thursday's game among the top-30 nationally in four statistical categories. Gardner is tied for fifth in the nation with an OVC-best 10 double-double, trailing only St. John's Joel Soriano (16), Purdue's Zach Edey (15), Chattanoga's Jake Stephens (11) and Coastal Carolina's Essam Mostafa (11).
• After sitting among the national top-50 in both field goals attempted and made early in the year, Little Rock has attempted just 36 free throws in its last three games, making 30 (83.3%). In contrast, Little Rock opponents have taken 66 free throws durnig that span, making just 34 (51.5%).
• Head coaches
Darrell Walker and John Pelphrey have a pair of convergent career paths. Walker played for Hall of Fame head coach Eddie Sutton at Arkansas while Pelphrey was an assistant under Sutton at Oklahoma State before leading Arkansas.
• Little Rock is seeking its second win of the season against a team from the Volunteer State defeating UT Martin in the OVC opener after falling at East Tennessee State, at Memphis and at Tennessee State.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
2022-23: 8-11 overall, 4-2 Ohio Valley Conference
Last Three Games: W vs. Tennessee State (71-63), W vs. Morehead State (79-62), W at UT Martin (84-80)
Head Coach: John Pelphrey (Kentucky, 1992). Fourth season at TTU (33-77), 13th season overall (182-203)
Key Players:
• #2 Jaylen Sebree (Gr., F): 13.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 45.6 FG%
• #13 Jayvis Harvey (Jr., G): 12.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 49.1 3FG%
• #0 Ty Perry (Gr., G): 10.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 39.9 FG%
• #5 Brett Thompson (Jr., G): 9.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 40.2 FG%
• #12 Erik Oliver (Jr., G): 7.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 41.2 FG%
ANOTHER NEW FOE
Little Rock and Tennessee Tech meet for the first time Thursday evening as the Trojans begin their first season in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Golden Eagles are the fifth of seven teams Little Rock will face for the first time in 2022-23, including Miami (Ohio), San Francisco, Lindenwood, Southern Indiana, Morehead State and SIU Edwardsville.
LAST TIME OUT
Trailing by nine early in the second half, Little Rock rallied back as the Trojans and Panthers combined for six ties and eight lead changes in a seven minutes span in the second half. But Eastern Illinois hit the key shots down the stretch to pull away for the 70-63 victory at Lantz Arena.
Jordan Jefferson led the way with 13 points while
Myron Gardner flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
MR. DO IT ALL
Myron Gardner continues to pace Little Rock this season, leading the Ohio Valley Conference with 10th double-doubles on the season. Gardner enters Thursday's game leading Little Rock in scoring (13.6 ppg), rebounding (9.5 rpg), assists (3.6 apg), steals (1.7 spg) and minutes (31.2 mpg), ranking second in three point (39.7%) and third in free throw percentage (76.0%). He flirted with a triple-double at Eastern Illinois, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
BACK IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Jordan Jefferson returned to the double figure club at Eastern Illinois Saturday, leading the Trojans with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-for-6 from three point range. It was Jefferson's ninth game in double figures this season and his first since a seven-game stretch during the month of December.
PROVIDING CONSISTENCY
DeAntoni Gordon remains a consistent presence in his second season in Little Rock. Gordon ranks second on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg), rebounding (5.4 rpg), field goal percentage (49.1%) and free throw percentage (80.0%) while leading the team in blocks (10). Gordon has reached double figures in 12 games, second-most on the team, doing so now in 16 of his 27 games in a Trojan uniform (59.3%).
SPARK OFF THE BENCH
CJ White once again provided a spark of the bench for the Trojans, finishing with seven points, seven rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. Over the last three games, White ranks third on the team in scoring (8.7 ppg) and is second in both rebounding (7.3 rpg) and assists (3.7 apg) averaging 30 minutes a game.
DOUBLE FIGURE TROJANS
10 different Trojans have combined for 63 double figure games this season with
Jordan Jefferson (13) and
Myron Gardner (10) reaching the mark against Eastern Illinois. Gardner leads all Trojans with 26 career games in double figures, including 17 of 19 this year, and has scored 10 or more points in 74.3% of his games as a Trojan (26-of-35).
HOME SWEET HOME
Little Rock returns home to the Jack Stephens Center where the Trojans are 161-93 (.634) all-time in its 17 years in its on-campus home. Little Rock has played just six true homes this season, posting a 4-2 record on its home court, while also playing a neutral site "home" game at Simmons Bank Arena following the court flooding prior to the UT Martin game. The Trojans' home court for the remainder of the season is a temporary one used by Gonzaga and Michigan State in the Armed Forces Classic aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in November and will serve as the home court of the Conference USA tournament in Frisco, Texas, once Little Rock's season is done.
#LittleRocksTeam
