Little Rock gets another boost in rout of visiting Tennessee State

Time and time again, the Little Rock women's basketball team has needed an unexpected boost, and with two regular starters out of Thursday's game due to illness, it was Annemarie Batista's time to answer the call. Batista matched her career-high with 13 points while playing her second-most minutes of the season, and Jordan Holman set a new career-high mark with 21 points to lead the Trojans to a 68-46 rout of Tennessee State in the Jack Stephens Center.
 
Holman grabbed seven rebounds to go with her efficient 8-of-10 shooting performance while Faith Lee added 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Batista made 3-of-4 from behind the arc and grabbed three rebounds to go with three steals. Sug Williams finished with nine points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Mesi Triplett added six points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
 
The Trojans (11-17 overall, 10-7 OVC) led for more than 37 minutes of the game and with four minutes left in the game they held a 25-point advantage over the visiting Tigers (9-18, 6-11). Little Rock outrebounded TSU by a 41-30 margin, outscored the Tigers 32-14 inside the paint and converted 18 points on fast breaks.
 
Sanaa' St. Andre was the lone Tiger to reach double figures, pacing TSU with 16 points and four rebounds. The Tigers shot just 30.9 percent from the floor (17-of-55) and 9-of-19 from the foul line. Little Rock led by a dozen after the opening frame, by 13 at the half and 18 entering the fourth period.
 
The Trojans hit 24-of-48 shots for an even 50 percent performance. They were 6-of-10 from long range and 14-of-21 (66.7 percent) from the line. Little Rock also totaled 17 assists, tied for the Trojans' third-highest total of the season.
 
The Trojans will host Tennessee Tech on Saturday to wrap up the regular season. The game is scheduled to tip off at 1 pm.