Kourouma Hits Game-Winner as Little Rock Clips Tennessee Tech

COOKEVILLE, Tenn.  – Facing a tie game and the final seconds ticking off the clock, Sali Kourouma drove to the basket and split three collapsing defenders to score the game-winning bucket while drawing the foul. Kourouma hit the ensuing free throw as Tennessee Tech watched its upset bid slip away in a 66-63 Little Rock win Saturday.
 
Angelique Francis scored a team-best 19 points and Sali Kourouma finshed with 14 points after hitting the game-winner. Faith Lee also added 14 points while Jayla Brooks scored 10. Jaiyah Harris-Smith nearly had a double-double with nine assists and seven rebounds.
 
Little Rock (12-9, 9-1 Ohio Valley) led for over 26 minutes and was up by as much as 23 early in the second half but Tennessee Tech (13-7, 7-3) charged back, leading by as much as two, 47-45, at the end of the third quarter.
 
Kourouma and Brooks each scored six in the final quarter while the Trojans held Tennessee Tech to just 23% (3 of 13) shooting in the final period after Tech shot nearly 42% over the first three quarters.
 
Peyton Carter, who scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds, hit a pair of free throws with 21 seconds remaining to tie the game at 63-63, the ninth tie of a game that also featured 14 lead changes.
 
Little Rock used its final timeout after those free throws to advance the ball and set up a final shot situation, allowing Kourouma to provide the game's heroics.
 
While Tennessee Tech became the first OVC school to ever score more than 60 points against Little Rock, it would be a moral victory only for the Golden Eagles. With the win, Little Rock not only moved two games ahead of Tech in the league standings while remaining just a single game behind league-leading Eastern Illinois, but secured the season sweep over Tennessee Tech and solidifying the tiebreaker advantage should that come into play later this year.
 
Little Rock wraps up this three-game road swing next Thursday, Feb. 2 when the Trojans play at Southeast Missouri.
 
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 @LittleRockWBB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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