MOREHEAD, Kent. — Little Rock put together a stronger second half and continued to battle until the final minutes, but an early deficit proved too much to overcome as the Trojans dropped their Ohio Valley Conference opener 78–64 to Morehead State on Tuesday night at Johnson Arena.
"We competed much better in the second half and showed the toughness we're going to need in this league," head coach
Darrell Walker said. "But we have to be ready from the opening tip. You can't dig yourself that kind of hole on the road and expect to come back."
Little Rock outscored the Eagles 35–32 after the break and showed renewed energy on both ends of the floor.
Braxton Bayless opened the second-half scoring for the Trojans with a three-pointer, and
Tuongthach Gatkek added a pair of highlight fast-break finishes, including a dunk with 1:56 remaining, as Little Rock continued to apply pressure.
Despite forcing 18 turnovers and creating transition opportunities, the Trojans were unable to close the gap as Morehead State consistently answered each push.
The Eagles built their cushion in the opening 20 minutes, taking control with a decisive first-half run to lead 46–29 at intermission. After an early Little Rock basket by Gatkek, the teams traded leads over the first 10 minutes before Morehead State grabbed the upper hand.
Gatkek paced Little Rock with 17 points and a game-high seven steals, providing a spark defensively throughout the night.
Kachi Nzeh added 13 points and two blocks, while
Johnathan Lawson contributed 12 points and five assists.
Cameron Wallace chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Little Rock will continue its opening conference road swing Thursday night at Southern Indiana. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT at Screaming Eagles Arena in Evansville, Ind.
"We'll learn from this and get back to work. That is all we can do," Walker said. "We need to get ready for Southern Indiana."
