LITTLE ROCK – Five Trojans finished in double figures as Little Rock built a 21-point second half and held off a late Tennessee State rally, handing the Tigers an 89-77 defeat at the Jack Stephens Center Saturday afternoon.
Little Rock was led once again by
CJ White who scored a career-high 21 points, adding seven rebounds and five assists as White shot 7-of-13 from the floor. He was complemented by the other half of the 501 duo in DJ Smith, who added 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, going 5-of-7 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
DeAntoni Gordon had another strong showing, finishing with 14 points and five rebounds, followed by
Ante Beljan notching 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting and three rebounds.
Isaiah Palermo was the fifth Trojan to reach double figures, adding 10 with three rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes off the bench.
After missing Thursday's game,
Myron Gardner returned and came off the bench to finish with seven points, six rebounds and four assists as Little Rock shot 55.8% from the floor (29-of-52), its second-best shooting performance of the season. Little Rock struggled from three, making just 3-of-11 (27.3%), but was aided by a 28-of-37 performance at the free throw line, setting a season-high in free throws made.
Tennessee State finished the game shooting 41.2% from the floor (28-of-68), making 7-of-28 from three point range (25.0%), which was half the number of made threes in the first meeting between the two teams. The Tigers were efficient from the line as well, going 14-of-17 (82.4%).
Rebounding was nearly even with Tennessee State holding a slim 36-35 edge, but dominated the offensive glass 13-5, leading to an 11-5 edge in second chance points. But the Trojans used its fast tempo offense to control the fast break, outscoring the Tigers 29-13, while scoring 15 points off 12 Tiger turnovers.
Playing less than a month after Tennessee State handed the Trojans a 25-point loss in Nashville on New Year's Eve, the Tigers had the hot hand early, knocking down a pair of threes to build a 10-4 lead with 16 minutes left in the first half. But that sparked a 14-0 Little Rock run over the next six minutes as the Trojans went 6-of-7 from the floor while the Tigers missed eight-straight with Little Rock building an 18-10 lead at the midway point of the first half.
The Trojans and Tigers exchanged baskets for a five-minute stretch with Tennessee State trimming the deficit to five on a pair of occasions. But Little Rock responded with a 7-2 run, including a three from Jefferson, to build a 10 point lead at 31-21 at the 4:42 mark.
Little Rock kept Tennessee State at bay down the stretch in the first half, leading by as many as 12 at 39-27 with just under a minute to play before taking a 39-29 lead into the half. Little Rock shot 52% in the first half, led by 10 points from Smith and eight from Gordon, as the Trojans were a perfect 12-for-12 from the line.
Little Rock kept up its intensity early in the second half, building its lead to 14 on a pair of occasions, the second of which came on a layup from Gordon, pushing the advantage 47-33 with 17:35 remaining. A 7-2 run for Tennessee State pulled the Tigers to within nine at 49-40, but once again, the Trojans responded with a 9-0 run of its own, pushing the lead to 17 at 57-40 with 13:40 remaining.
The Trojans remained efficient in the second half, led by an offensive surge from Beljan. The freshman scored eight of 10 during a two-minute span, including an and-one with 9:36 remaining to push Little Rock's lead to 21 at 67-46.
Tennessee State answered back with a 14-2 run spanning less than 1:30, pulling to within nine at 69-60 with just under eight minutes remaining. Little Rock used a 5-0 run and a pair of key defensive stops, capped by an emphatic dunk by Gardner to push the lead back to 14 at 74-60 at the 5:59 mark.
Little Rock was then able to maintain its advantage down the stretch, making 11of-15 free throw attempts over the final six minutes and a big three in the corner from White at the 2:34 mark gave the Trojans the 17-point cushion at 80-63 with 3:23 to play. Palermo added a layup at the 1:06 mark for the final field goal of the game, helping Little Rock end its six-game skid.
The Trojans had one of their best halves of the year, going 16-of-27 from the floor (59.3%) and 16-of-25 from the free throw line. White led the way with 15 over the final 20 minutes while Beljan added 10 and Palermo and Smith both finished with 10.
Tennessee State was led by Jr. Clay's 33 points, 28 of which came in the second half on 10-of-16 shooting and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Dedric Boyd was the only other Tiger to finish in double figures, scoring 12.
Little Rock now hopes the win will provide some momentum as the Trojans get ready for a three game road swing, beginning Thursday in eastern Kentucky against Morehead State. Opening tip against the Eagles is set for 6 p.m. CT.
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