LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock rallied back from a 15-point second half deficit, pulling even with SIU Edwardsville with two seconds remaining in regulation. But the Cougars connected on a shot from beyond half court as time expired to hand the Trojans a heartbreaking 84-81 defeat at the Jack Stephens Center Saturday afternoon.
Four Trojans finished in double figures as the quartet of
DeAntoni Gordon,
Myron Gardner,
D.J. Smith and
CJ White combined for 70 of Little Rock's 81 points on the night. That surge was led by a 21-point, seven-rebound performance for Gordon, who was 9-of-18 from the floor and 2-for-2 from three point range.
Gardner notched his Ohio Valley Conference-best 13th double-double, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds and a team-best six assists, while White nearly added his third of the year, scoring 18 points with nine rebounds and five assists. Smith rounded out the double-digit scorers with 17 points, including 4-of-8 from three point range.
Jordan Jefferson nearly joined the group, finishing with nine first half points while going 2-for-3 from three point range.
Ethan Speaker was the only other Trojan to score, adding a basket, as Little Rock shot 38.2% from the floor (26-of-68), making a season-high 13 three pointers on 25 attempts (52.0%) while going 16-for-21 from the free throw line (76.2%).
SIUE was efficient from the floor all game, making 56.1% of its shots (32-of-57) and 10-of-21 (47.6%) from three point range. The Cougars opened the game shooting 58% in the first half, taking an early lead they never relinquished.
Little Rock held a 38-34 rebounding advantage, including a 17-7 edge in offensive boards, leading to a commanding 27-9 edge in second chance points. The Trojans committed just nine turnovers but SIUE had just 10 with Little Rock tallying just four steals.
Meeting for the first time in program history, SIUE introduced themselves in a hurry, racing out to an early 8-1 lead as Little Rock struggled to find its shooting touch. Trailing 17-9, Jefferson hit back-to-back threes for the Trojans, getting Little Rock within two at 17-15 at the 12:08 mark.
But the Cougars responded with a 9-2 run of its own, pushing the lead to nine at 26-17 at the midway point of the first half. Little Rock chipped away at the lead, pulling to within three on three separate occasions, including at 35-32 off a three from Smith at the 3:57 mark.
SIUE knocked down a pair of three down the stretch and used its 58.1% shooting over the first 20 minutes to take a 46-37 lead into halftime. The Trojans shot just 31.3% in the first half, led by 10 points from Gordon, nine from Jefferson and eight from Gardner.
The second half saw an initial surge by SIUE, extending its lead to a game-high 15 at 58-43 with 16:19 remaining. The Cougars held a double-digit lead for the majority of the half, including a 72-58 advantage with 8:02 to play.
But that is when Little Rock began to mount its comeback, whittling away at the SIUE advantage over the next eight minutes. The Trojans outscored the Cougars 23-9, led by nine points each for Gordon and White, as a layup from Gordon with six second remaining got the Trojans to within two at 81-79.
Little Rock fouled SIUE's Lamar Wright and got exactly what it asked for as Wright missed both shots, followed by White drawing a foul with two seconds left. The graduate student hit both, tying the game at 81-81 as the Cougars had to inbound the ball on the Trojan baseline. But Ray'Sean Taylor hit a shot from beyond the logo as time expired, handing Little Rock the heartbreaking 84-81 defeat.
It overshadowed a valiant second half effort for the Trojans as White scored 15 points, Smith added 12 and Gordon posted 11 while Gardner had six points and six rebounds with those four combining for all 44 of Little Rock's second half points. The Trojans were 7-of-15 from three point range over the final 20 minutes, but couldn't hold off the hot-shooting Cougars, who were 5-for-7 from three in the second half and hit 53.8% of their shots.
Little Rock will look to bounce back Thursday when it welcomes Morehead State to the Jack Stephens Center for the first time. Opening tip against the Eagles is set for 6:30 p.m., an earlier start time due to the Trojan women playing their school day game earlier in the day Thursday.
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