LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Call Little Rock's
D.J. Smith "Mr. Clutch."
The sophomore from North Little Rock came up with a clutch steal, free throws and layup in the final 12 seconds of overtime to help push Little Rock (9-20, 5-11 Ohio Valley) to an 81-77 win to keep the Trojans' postseason hopes alive.
Smith finished with a game-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists and four steals and was a critical 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
Two of those free throws came with 16 seconds left in regulation to push the Trojan lead to three at 69-66 before Eastern Illinois (9-20, 5-11) added five extra minutes to the clock thanks to a 3-pointer from Cameron Haffner with three seconds left in regulation.
Then in overtime Smith grabbed a steal as the game was tied at 77-77 with 12 seconds left. Immediately fouled, Smith sank two more free throws to push Little Rock a head, 79-77. Just 10 seconds later, Smith grabbed a critical offensive rebound and got the put-back to seal the win in Little Rock's final home game of the season.
Now tied with Eastern Illinois for the final qualifying spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, Saturday's win even the season series with the Panthers. Barring an EIU upset over Morehead State on Thursday, the Trojans would win the potential tiebreaker over Eastern Illinois.
Smith's 20 points led the way while
DeAntoni Gordon tallied his fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds with 14 of those points coming in the second half. Gordon also recorded a career-high four blocks and his 12 boards tied a career-best mark.
Isaiah Palermo tallied 17 points, scoring 11 before halftime.
Both teams shot over 40% but the difference maker came in Little Rock's 43-37 rebounding advantage and in forcing 19 Panther turnovers, turning those into 25 points. Of those 19 turnovers, 10 came from Little Rock steals with Palermo recording a career-best seven by himself and is the most an OVC player has recorded in a game this season.
Little Rock now looks to keep its season alive with a game at SIUE on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and a win will keep the team's hopes alive for a spot in the OVC Tournament, set for March 1-4 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
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