MOREHEAD, Ky. – Little Rock once again staged a late half rally, erasing a 10-point second half deficit to tie the game against Morehead State with two minutes to play. But the Trojans once again couldn't get over the hump, falling to the Eagles 76-72 at Johnson Arena.
The loss came despite three strong performances from
DeAntoni Gordon,
Isaiah Palermo and
Myron Gardner as the trio combined for 49 of the Trojans' 72 points on the night. Gordon led the way with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting with five rebounds while Palermo added a season-high 16 points, including going 3-for-3 from the free throw line to extend his streak to 19-straight at the line.
Gardner registered his Ohio Valley Conference-best 11th double-double of the year, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting with a pair of assists.
Jordan Jefferson added nine points while D.J Smith finished with eight to pace Little Rock.
For the game, the Trojans shot 47.5% from the floor, making 28-of-59 attempts, while going just 4-of-11 (36.4%) from three point range. Little Rock remained efficient from the free throw line, knocking down 12-of-15 (80.0%).
But Morehead State finished the game shooting 54.5% from the floor (30-of-55), including 8-of-17 (47.1%) from three point range. The Eagles pulled away over the final 20 minutes with a 56.0% clip, holding a slim 32-29 rebounding edge on the Trojans.
In the first-ever meeting between the two schools, the two teams exchanged the lead five times in the opening half, beginning with the Eagles racing out to a quick five-point lead. Little Rock responded with a 12-3 run, taking a 12-8 lead at the 14:41 mark thanks to three-straight baskets from Gordon.
Morehead State countered with a 9-0 run, reclaiming a five-point lead at 19-14 with 10:50 remaining in the half. Little Rock would fight back to tie the game twice, ultimately taking a three-point lead at 29-26 behind a 10-3 run in which four different Trojans scored. But the Eagles outscored the Trojans 12-5 over the final four minutes to take a 38-34 lead into intermission.
The Eagles pushed their lead to as many as 10 on a pair of occasions early in the second half, the second of which came at 52-42 with just under 17 minutes remaining. Little Rock slowly began chipping away at the lead, eventually pulling even at 61-61 off a layup from Palermo at the 6:01 mark.
Morehead State extended the lead to five once again at 68-63 with 3:28 to go, answered by a 7-2 run by the Trojans to pull even at 70-70 off an and-one from Gardner with 2:06 remaining. But the Eagles took advantage over the final two minutes, outscoring Little Rock 6-2 over the final two minutes to pull away for the 76-72 victory.
Mark Freeman led the way for the Eagles with 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting while dishing out a game-high six assists. Drew Thelwell added 14 points as the Trojans remained winless on the road this season, sitting at 0-13.
Little Rock looks to end that streak Saturday when the Trojans make their first trip to Cookeville, Tennessee, for the second meeting of the year with Tennessee Tech. Opening tip against the Golden Eagles is set for 3:30 p.m. at the Eblen Center.
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