MURRAY, Kent. - Little Rock delivered long stretches of tough, confident basketball on the road and repeatedly challenged a veteran Murray State squad before the Racers' hot perimeter shooting proved the difference in an 89–68 decision Tuesday night.
The Trojans set the tone early with assertiveness on both ends of the floor, matching Murray State shot-for-shot to open the game.
Kachi Nzeh ignited the offense with a baseline jumper, and
Tuongthach Gatkek followed with a strong drive to the rim for a 4–2 lead. After the Racers briefly pulled even, Nzeh powered inside for a tip-in, and a fast-break layup to complete an 8–2 run that put Little Rock firmly in control at 8–2.
Little Rock (2-3) continued to attack the paint with purpose.
Johnathan Lawson fed Nzeh for another close-range bucket, and
Terrion Burgess crashed the glass for a second-chance score that helped the Trojans maintain a 13–12 edge. Even as Murray State warmed up from three, Little Rock's energy never dipped.
The Trojans repeatedly answered with hustle plays and momentum-swinging highlights.
Cameron Wallace grabbed a defensive board, pushed the length of the floor, and scored in transition. Moments later, Burgess soared for a powerful dunk, electrifying the Little Rock bench. Wallace then jumped a passing lane for a steal, leading to another fast-break finish for Hughes. Lawson capped the surge by threading a perfect pass to Burgess in the corner for a three that pulled the Trojans within 52–44 late in the first half.
Coming out of halftime, Little Rock kept attacking. Burgess muscled in a basket through contact, Wallace set up Gatkek for a two-handed dunk, and Lawson drilled a midrange jumper as the Trojans trimmed the deficit back into single digits. Their interior scoring and willingness to pressure the ball kept the game competitive deep into the second half.
The Racers' outside shooting (14 made threes) ultimately proved the separator.
"You have to give Murray State (4-1) a lot of credit – they shot the ball very well. We have to continue to work on our defensive rotation and producing offensively," Little Rock head coach
Darrell Walker said. "We will continue to work and prepare. We have a lot of new guys who are still learning what we want to do."
Little Rock will travel to San Marcos, Texas to play Texas State Friday at 7 p.m.
