Two more home games remain for Little Rock. The final home stand of the season begins Thursday night with the Trojans playing host to Lindenwood 25 minutes following the women's game at 5 p.m. The game can be heard on 106.7 Buz2 with Ray Tucker handling the coverage. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+.
Little Rock is also celebrating Faith & Family Night, with up to FOUR complimentary tickets available for faith-based organization leaders and their members for Thursday night's doublheader. For more information or to secure your tickets, please call 501-916-3257.
LAST TIME OUT
With upset-minded Tennessee Tech shooting lights out and up by double figures in the second half, Little Rock was in danger of enduring a second straight home defeat. However, the Trojans responded with a big run midway through the second half to preserve a 79-75 win last Thursday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
Little Rock used a 22-4 run to take a 69-61 lead with 7:14 left in the game and held on for the win.
Five Trojans scored in double figures led by
Isaiah Lewis,
Tuongthach Gatkek and
Mwani Wilkinson, who all scored 17 points apiece. Wilkinson added nine rebounds and four steals and Gatkek grabbed six rebounds.
Jordan Jefferson celebrated his 23
rd birthday with 12 points.
MILESTONE WIN AWAITS WALKER
Little Rock head coach
Darrell Walker won his 99
th game at Little Rock last Thursday against Tennessee Tech and will go for No. 100 against Lindenwood on Thursday night. Walker is in his seventh season guiding the Trojans. He led Little Rock to the OVC regular-season title last season and the Sun Belt Conference title in 2019-20. He was also voted SBC Coach of the Year that season. Walker is the only active head coach with stints in the NBA, WNBA, NCAA Division II and Division I.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Trojans enter Thursday's game tied with SIUE for second place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. Both teams are 11-5 in OVC play. Southeast Missouri sits in first place with a 12-4 mark. Little Rock plays Lindenwood, who is 8-8 in the OVC, and Western Illinois, who is 4-12. SEMO hosts the same two teams but begins with WIU. SIUE plays at Morehead State (9-7 OVC) on Thursday night and Southern Indiana (4-12 OVC) on Thursday.
HEATING UP
Little Rock's defense is among the tops in the OVC but offense hasn't always been easy to come by. However, the Trojans have scored 70 or more points five of the past six games. Last week, a second-half run fueled a 79-75 win over Tennessee Tech. Four players scored in double figures. The Trojans average 68 points per game.
STEALING THE SHOW
Four Little Rock players are among the Top 10 leaders in steals in the OVC.
Mwani Wilkinson is fourth with 1.8 steals per game. Tuoungthach Gatkek (1.7) is fifth,
Isaiah Lewis (1.7) is seventh and
Johnathan Lawson (1.6) is ninth. The Trojans lead the league in teams steals with nearly nine per game.
THE SERIES
Little Rock is 3-2 against Lindenwood since joining the OVC two years ago. The Trojans have won the past three games, including a 78-46 blowout at Lindenwood last month.
SCOUTING REPORT: Lindenwood
The Lions have been inconsistent. After Little Rock blew them out late last month, they responded with a 65-63 upset of SIUE, who is one of the top teams in the OVC. Lindenwood trailed by 17 in that game. However, then they lost to Eastern Illinois, 76-70, at home. EIU is tied for last place in the league with Southern Indiana.
Since that loss, though, the Lions are 3-1 and winners of their past two games.
The Lions have a balanced scoring attack with four players averaging double figures. Graduate guard Markeith Browning, a 6-foot-5, 200-pounder, leads the team with a 12.4 ppg average followed by senior guard Anias Futrell (12.3), freshman guard Jadis Jones (12.2) and junior guard Reggie Bass (10.8). Futrell, Jones and Bass are all 6-3 or taller.
Despite the balanced scoring, Lindenwood doesn't shoot well. They average 43% from the field per game and 33% from the three-point line. Lindenwood was a frigid 17-of-62 (27%) from the field and 4-of-23 (17%) from the three-point line in their 32-point loss to the Trojans Jan. 25. Little Rock also out-rebounded the Lions 43-30.
