LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Little Rock battled throughout but came up short in a 71-61 Ohio Valley Conference loss to SIUE on Saturday afternoon at the Jack Stephens Center.
Despite trailing by 10 at halftime, the Trojans showed resilience in the second half, out-rebounding the Cougars 41-38 and forcing 11 turnovers. SIUE, however, maintained its advantage by converting 13 free throws and controlling the tempo down the stretch to secure the road victory.
"We didn't give ourselves much margin early," said Little Rock head coach
Darrell Walker. "I liked our fight in the second half, but against a good team you can't spot them a lead and expect it to be easy. I feel for our team. I know they are dejected, but they keep fighting."
Little Rock stayed competitive early, as
Braxton Bayless knocked down a 3-pointer at the 18:27 mark to even the score. SIUE responded with a steady inside attack, and a late 3-pointer extended the Cougars' lead midway through the half.
Johnathan Lawson helped the Trojans close the gap late with a pair of 3-pointers, but SIUE carried a 33–23 advantage into the break.
The Trojans (9-16, 6-8 OVC) opened the second half with renewed energy.
Kachi Nzeh buried a 3-pointer just 54 seconds in, and Bayless followed with an offensive rebound and tip-in to keep Little Rock within striking distance. Lawson continued to apply pressure with a 3-pointer at 7:06, but each push was met by timely SIUE responses.
Little Rock matched SIUE (16-9, 9-5 OVC) point-for-point in the second half, with both teams scoring 38 points after intermission, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
Lawson led the Trojans with 18 points, including three 3-pointers, and added five rebounds. Bayless finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while
Truman Claytor IV added 15 points, connecting on three of four attempts from long range.
Tuongthach Gatkek anchored the interior with eight rebounds and three blocks.
"We're right there," Walker said. "The effort is there - the competitiveness is there. We have to win one to get going, but we can't quite get one."
Little Rock returns to action Thursday, Feb. 12, traveling to Macomb, Ill., for a 7:30 p.m. matchup at Western Illinois.
