Trojans to face Missouri State on Saturday in final non-conference game

The Little Rock Women's Basketball team seeks some much-needed momentum when the Trojans take on Missouri State in the final contest before starting their Ohio Valley Conference schedule next week. Little Rock and Missouri State meet Saturday afternoon at Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Mo. with a 1 pm start. The game is available for live streaming on ESPN+ and can also be heard on Sports Animal 920 AM.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock (2-6) and Central Arkansas traded blows for more than 35 minutes during a non-conference game in Conway, with the Trojans trailing by just a point. But the Sugar Bears closed out the contest with a 12-0 run, giving UCA a 55-42 win last Saturday. Williams put up a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds to pace Little Rock, which struggled to make shots all afternoon to the tune of 27.9 percent (17-of-61). Faith Lee added 10 points for the Trojans to go with four rebounds and four assists. Jordan Holman added seven points.
 
FINAL DRESS REHEARSAL
Little Rock has just one chance to make some adjustments prior to entering conference play next week, with a pair of home dates coming up at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans open OVC play Thursday against SIUE before hosting Eastern Illinois next Saturday. Following the holiday break, Little Rock hits the road to face UT Martin on Jan. 2 and Tennessee State on Jan. 4.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 20^th meeting between the two schools in a series dating back to 1986. Missouri State enters Saturday's game with a 15-4 advantage over the Trojans, including four consecutive wins. This is also the fourth straight year the teams meet, with Missouri State earning a 52-47 win last season at the Jack Stephens Center. Little Rock's last win in the series came in 2017 and Missouri State is 11-1 all-time against Little Rock at home.
 
MISSOURI STATE – FIRST LOOK
The Bears (5-3) took down Wyoming in their most recent outing, a 62-50 home win, after facing three opponents at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands from Nov. 28-30. Missouri State is 2-0 at home this season. Preseason All-MVC selection Lacy Stokes leads the Bears with 12.4 points per game with Kyrah Daniels (11.5), Sarah Linthacum (10.9) and Kaemyn Bekemeier (10.0) also scoring in double figures. Missouri State has won the rebounding battle in six of its seven contests this season. Since the 2017-18 season, the Bears have posted an 84-13 record at home (86.6 percent).