LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Little Rock battled to the final horn but came up short Saturday evening, falling 84–79 to Tennessee State at the Jack Stephens Center in an Ohio Valley Conference matchup. The Trojans slipped to 5–10 overall and 2–2 in league play, while the Tigers improved to 9–5 and 3–1 in the OVC.
"I feel bad for our guys because they played their butts off," Little Rock head coach
Darrell Walker said. "We played well enough to win, but we didn't execute well enough at the end. Tennessee State is one of the more talented teams in the OVC, and they played very well."
Little Rock kept the game within reach throughout, trading leads and responding to every Tennessee State run. The Trojans were efficient at the free-throw line, converting 21 of 29 attempts, but Tennessee State's presence inside proved decisive. The visitors scored 50 points in the paint and outpaced Little Rock 51–47 in the second half.
The Trojans opened the second half with energy as
Johnathan Lawson forced a steal that led to a
Braxton Bayless assist and a
Tuongthach Gatkek dunk at the 18:17 mark. Tennessee State answered with transition baskets, but Little Rock continued to respond.
Cameron Wallace converted at the line, and
Kachi Nzeh knocked down a three-pointer to pull the Trojans within 64–62 with 7:40 remaining.
The game tightened in the closing minutes. Bayless tied the contest at 76–76 with a driving layup with 2:15 to play, igniting the home crowd. Tennessee State answered with key baskets and free throws to regain control. Nzeh's late dunk cut the deficit, but the Tigers sealed the win at the line to close out the 84–79 decision.
"We haven't been in many situations like this late in games this season, and that's something we have to clean up," Nzeh said. "We played well, but we have to be able to finish. This is a learning experience for us."
Lawson led the Trojans with 20 points, knocking down three three-pointers and going 7-of-8 at the free-throw line while adding four assists. Nzeh finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. Gatkek added 14 points, four rebounds, and two blocks, while Bayless contributed 11 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
Little Rock set the tone early with strong defensive pressure.
Cameron Wallace recorded a steal on the opening possession, and Lawson knocked down a three-pointer at the 17:19 mark—assisted by
Truman Claytor IV—to put the Trojans on the board. Little Rock attacked the basket consistently in the opening half, scoring 14 points in the paint while shooting 10-of-13 from the free-throw line.
Despite trailing for much of the first half, the Trojans stayed close and nearly took the lead before the break.
Caleb Pennyfeather capped the half with a layup at the buzzer, trimming Tennessee State's advantage to 33–32 at intermission.
Little Rock returns to the road Thursday night at SIUE in Edwardsville, Illinois, before wrapping up the trip Saturday at nearby Lindenwood in the St. Louis metro area.
"We're going to rest, get back to work on Monday and hit the road," Walker said. "We'll get ready for two big games next week. There's a lot of season left, and I think we can still win some games in this league."
