MOREHEAD, Kent. – Little Rock outscored Morehead State 26-11 the final 10 minutes to pull out a 76-62 win at Johnson Arena with a ESPNU national-television audience watching on Saturday afternoon. With the win and the sweep of the road trip, the Trojans (16-9, 10-4) are tied with SIUE for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The Eagles (14-11, 9-5) took a 51-50 lead, their only lead of the second half, with 10:47 to play and never led again. Five minutes later, Little Rock went up 62-55 on a
Jordan Jefferson dunk and didn't look back. The Trojans pushed the lead to double digits with just under two minutes to go to seal the win.
Johnathan Lawson led all scorers with 24 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the three-point line. Jefferson came off the bench to score 14 points and nab four steals.
Isaiah Lewis chipped in 13. The Trojans shot 29-of-54 (53.7%) from the field and 8-of-16 (50%) from the three-point line. The Trojans scored 25 points off 16 Eagles' turnovers.
Little Rock led 39-34 at halftime and pushed the led to 48-38 on an
Ante Beljan dunk with just under 17 minutes to play. A 10-0 run over the next six minutes got the Eagles back into the game. Steven Clay's layup gave the Eagles a 51-50 advantage at the 10:55 mark.
However, Lawson answered with a three-pointer which stole the lead back and ignited a 6-0 mini run that was capped with a Wilkinson jumper and Little Rock led 57-51 with 9:16 to play. The Eagles cut the advantage to two moments later, but the Trojans regained firm control after that.
Tuong Gatkek sparked a 6-0 splurge with a layup that was followed by a steal and dunk by Jefferson to make the score 62-55 with 6:47 remaining. A jumper by Lawson pushed the margin to nine. The lead briefly dipped to seven again with 2:27remaining, but Jefferson hit a layup, and the Trojans led 68-59.
Little Rock finished the game on a 7-2 run and led by 16 on a Lawson dunk with just less than a minute to play.
Kenny White Jr., led MSU with 16 points. The Eagles shot 20-of-46 (43.5%) from the field and 6-of-16 (37.5%) from the three-point line.
Little Rock plays host to Southeast Missouri State Tuesday night at the Jack Stephens Center. It is the start of a four-game home stand for the Trojans.
