Trojans Look to Secure Outright Title, Top Seed at SIUE Thursday on ESPNU

Game 28 | SIUE
Tip-Off	Thursday, Feb. 23 | 4 p.m. CT
Location	Edwardsville, Ill.
Venue	First Community Arena
Watch	ESPNU
Radio	LRSN (920 AM)
Live Stats	Stat Broadcast
Tickets	Click to Purchase
Twitter	@LittleRockWBB
Series History	LR leads, 1-0
Game Notes	Little Rock | SIUE | OVC

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – This team is not content to share.
 
Having already clinched at least a share of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship, Little Rock heads to SIUE Thursday evening fighting for the outright title and top seed in the OVC Tournament. The Trojans can lay claim to both under the bright lights of national television.
 
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. Thursday with the game airing live on ESPNU as Angel Gray (play-by-play) and Andrea Lloyd (analyst) will have the call. Fans in the Capital City can listen to the action on the Little Rock Sports Network (920 AM The Sports Animal) as Trey Schaap will broadcast on the airwaves.
 
Opening Tip

• Little Rock looks to clinch the outright OVC regular season championship in Thursday's game at SIUE.
• A win would mark the 11th consecutive victory for Little Rock and the 17th win in the past 19 games.
• The Trojans are holding opponents to just 52.0 ppg (and 46.6 ppg in OVC play). Both marks are the lowest of any OVC team in league history.
• Only three players to face the Trojans this season have recorded five or more assists in a game against Little Rock.
• Little Rock has only allowed more than 60 points once in OVC play this year.
• LR is averaging 1.44 charges drawn per game. Angelique Francis leads the way with 12 drawn charges while Jayla Brooks has 11.
• The Trojans rank 5th nationally in opposing team assists per game (8.3) and 14th in the country in opposing team steals per game (5.7).
• Including this season, Little Rock has reached its conference tournament semifinal round in 15 of the past 16 years.

 Series History

• This will be just the second meeting between Little Rock and SIUE with the Trojans taking the first contest in Little Rock just a few weeks ago.
• In their previous meeting, Little Rock held SIUE to just 15 points in the first half, taking a 40-15 lead into halftime.
• This marks Little Rock's first-ever trip to Edwardsville.
• Little Rock is 3-3 all-time against opponents from the state of Illinois.

 Five Things to Know

1. Little Rock's Team is the National Team of the Week
   After securing a 13th regular season title in the past 16 years and becoming the first Ohio Valley Conference program to win a championship in its first season in the league, Little Rock has been named the National Team of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for games ending Sunday, Feb. 19. This marks the first time Little Rock has received the national recognition and the first time an Ohio Valley Conference team – men's or women's – has been named the National Team of the Week.
2. Inaugural Season. Inaugural Championship.
   With their 46-42 win over Eastern Illinois on Feb. 18 the Trojans claimed history, becoming the first team to win (or share) the Ohio Valley Conference Championship in their first year in the league. Belmont's tied for third place finish (T-2nd in East Division, record placed them third overall) in their inaugural OVC season in 2012-13 (11-5) matches Jacksonville State (11-5 in 2003-04) and SIUE (12-4 in 2011-12)'s respective finishes as the best finish in the league in their first season, all of which finished third overall.
3. Not Our First Rodeo
   Sure, the ring is a little different and the bull is new, but this isn't Little Rock's first rodeo. With the win over Eastern Illinois on Feb. 18, the Trojans secured at least a share of the regular season championship for Little Rock's Team. The Trojans have now won a combined 13 regular season championships (between division and overall) titles over the course of their history, all during the tenure of Joe Foley. If you include conference tournaments, that number jumps up to 18 different crowns the Little Rock women have claimed. The last regular season title came in 2019, which was the third conference championship in a row. But, as you'll find out if you keep reading, these Trojans don't like to share. A win over SIUE would clinch an outright title, making Little Rock's Team the undisputed and sole champions of the league.
4. Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
   Joe Foley must have the cheat codes. Little Rock's defense is doing what Foley generally gets his teams to do - putting up numbers that boggle the mind. Little Rock enters this game ranked fourth in the nation in scoring defense (52.0 ppg), 15th nationally in 3-point field goal defense (25.8%) and 18th in the country in field goal defense (35.8%). This is the Joe Foley Experience, something the OVC has never seen before.
5. Close Calls
   Little Rock has been very fortunate in close calls so far this season. The Trojans have compiled a 3-0 mark in games decided by three points or less and a 7-1 mark in one-possession games (four points or less).

A Win Would...

• Secure the outright OVC regular season championship.
• Give the Trojans the No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament.
• Secure an 11th-straight win, the program's longest winning streak since the 2018-19 season.
• Move the Trojans to 1-1 in the State of Illinois this season.
• Secure a season sweep over the Cougars, the seventh sweep of the year for Little Rock.
• Register Joe Foley's 852nd win as a head coach (but who's counting?).
• Give Joe Foley his 396th win as head coach of the Trojans.
• Be better than a loss.

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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