LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – After sweeping a road trip last week, the Trojans looks to stay hot against Eastern Illinois Thursday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
Little Rock (7-10, 4-2) took down SIUE and Lindenwood last week. They have now won four of their past five games and look to make it three straight league games against the Panthers (7-10, 4-3).
GAME INFO
Who: Eastern Illinois (7-10, 4-3) at Little Rock (7-10, 4-2)
When: 7 p.m., Thursday, January 15
Where: Jack Stephens Center (5,600), Little Rock, Ark.
Listen: 106.7 Buz2 (Ray Tucker, pxp; Jason Lanier, analyst) Listen
HERE.
Video: ESPN+ (Michael Westbrook, pxp; Jacob Ridenhour, analyst) Watch
HERE.
Promo: Members of the 2025 OVC Champion Men's Indoor Track Team will be awarded commemorative rings at halftime.
SERIES HISTORY
•EIU Leads the series 5-3.
COACH SPEAK
"We had a good week on the road, and now it's important that we protect our home court. We've been able to rest, prepare, and get ready for this week. We're excited to be back at home, playing at a high level, and we want to keep that momentum going."
Darrell Walker, Little Rock Head Coach
TROJAN TIDBITS
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Johnathan Lawson became the first Trojan to earn OVC Player of the Week honors this season, the league announced Monday. The Memphis native opened the week with a standout performance at SIUE, scoring 23 points, adding five assists and two steals, and playing all 40 minutes. Lawson was a perfect 10-for-10 at the free-throw line—including four in the final 1:44—as Little Rock rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit for a 73–70victory.
Lawson followed with another strong all-around effort at Lindenwood, finishing with 20 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals, and a block to complete the road sweep. He logged an impressive 79 of 80 minutes over the two games, subbing out for just one minute in the Lindenwood win.
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Braxton Bayless turned in his most complete performance as a Trojan at Lindenwood, recording 21 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in 38 minutes of action.
•Little Rock currently sits in a five-way tie for second place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
•Eastern Illinois has won three straight OVC games.
•The Panthers are coming off a 57–55 victory over Western Illinois on Tuesday night, extending their home win streak to five games.
•Zion Fruster leads EIU in scoring at 15.1 points per game, ranking ninth in the OVC.
•Kooper Jacobi paces the Panthers on the glass with 6.1 rebounds per game and also scores just over 10 points per contest.
•Eastern Illinois ranks third in the OVC in opponent three-point percentage, holding teams to 29 percent from beyond the arc.
•EIU is second in the conference in free-throw percentage, shooting 74 percent at the line.
•The Panthers step out of league play on Sunday to battle Blackburn College at home.
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