LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The paint belonged to the Trojans Thursday night.
Behind 38 points in the paint and a dominant inside presence, Little Rock (14-13, 10-7 OVC) earned a key 65-57 victory over UT Martin (13-14, 9-9 OVC) at the Jack Stephens Center, strengthening its position in the Ohio Valley Conference race.
"We talked all week about being the aggressor and establishing ourselves inside," head coach
Steve Wiedower said. "When we score 38 points in the paint, that tells me we were attacking, sharing the basketball and finishing plays."
After UT Martin's Sidni Middleton opened the scoring with an early layup, Little Rock quickly settled in.
Mya Cotto answered with a pair of free throws and added a layup and another free throw to spark a first-quarter surge.
Jordan Holman's bucket at the 2:15 mark extended the lead before Cotto buried a three-pointer to close the quarter, giving the Trojans a 15-9 advantage.
Little Rock seized control in the second quarter by capitalizing on Skyhawk turnovers and turning defense into offense. Holman knocked down a jumper to stretch the lead, while
Alaina Payne and
Destinee Salgado attacked the rim. Salgado scored twice in quick succession, and
Jarahle Daniels added a late layup before Holman beat the buzzer with another inside finish to send the Trojans into halftime up 29-18.
Holman was relentless throughout the night, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds and going 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. Salgado recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds on seven made field goals, while Cotto added 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
"We had never beaten in this building, so that was some motivation," Holman said. "We really wanted this one, and we kept our composure and finished it off."
The Trojans maintained their composure in the third quarter despite UT Martin converting all 15 of its free-throw attempts in the game to stay within striking distance. Holman opened the second half with a fast-break layup,
Brenna Burk knocked down a three-pointer, and Salgado continued to control the glass as Little Rock carried a 47-37 lead into the final period.
UT Martin made one final push, trimming the deficit to 54-52 with 3:32 remaining and later to 56-55 after a Brittani Wells three-pointer. But Holman responded with a clutch jumper and later a three-pointer of her own, while Payne added a key layup to put the game out of reach.
Defensively, the Trojans controlled the boards and limited second-chance opportunities, while offensively they continued to pound the paint and execute late.
"I'm proud of how we responded when they made their run," Wiedower said. "We didn't panic. We executed, we defended and we finished. That's growth. This time of year, you want to be playing your best basketball, and tonight was a big step."
With their 10th conference win secured, the Trojans continue to build momentum heading into the final stretch of OVC play. Little Rock plays its second game of a four-game homestand at 1 p.m., Saturday against SEMO.
"I told them Monday, if we keep improving the final four games like we have we will be in good shape going into the conference tournament," Wiedower said,
