For the second-straight game, Little Rock's defense kept its opponent in check while a second half surge kept the game out of reach as the Trojans toppled Appalachian State 73-57 at the Holmes Convocation Center. The win, coupled with losses from the two Georgia schools, puts the Trojans all alone in first place of the Sun Belt standings at 7-2 in league play and 13-7 overall.
The win over the Mountaineers marks the first time Little Rock has swept the Carolina road trip in program history. The Trojans never trailed at any point in time over the two-game trip as they won their sixth road game of the year, the most since the 12-win campaign in 2015-16.
Game Notes
• Little Rock once again shot over 50% from the floor, knocking down 53.8% of its shots (28-of-52) while going 41.2% from three point range (7-of-17) and 76.9% from the free throw line (10-of-13). The Trojans held Appalachian State to just 32.8% shooting (19-of-58) as the Mountaineers connected on just five of their 16 three point attempts (31.3%).
• Little Rock never trailed at any point in the game and were never tied with Appalachian State, leading for 39:08. Over the last two games, the Trojans have led for a grand total of 78:32 of the possible 80 minutes.
• Three Trojans finished in double figures, led by Jovan Stulic's career-high 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting with six rebounds. Stulic connected on three of his six three-point attempts.
• Nikola Maric registered a season-best 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting form the floor with five rebounds. He was complemented by Ben Coupet Jr.'s 10 points as Coupet scored 8 of Little Rock's first 10 points.
• Ruot Monyyong's streak of double-doubles ends at seven games, but he still pulled down 11 rebounds with three points, taking just three shots in the game.
• Kamani Johnson nearly joined the double-digit club, finishing with nine points and six rebounds. Marko Lukic added seven points while Jaizec Lottie finished with six points, five rebounds and five assists.
• Little Rock out rebounded Appalachian State 39-30 but the Mountaineers held a 12-8 edge on offensive rebounds. The Trojans committed 18 turnovers, leading to a 16-3 edge in fast break points for the Mountaineers.
• The Trojan defensive effort once again held an opponent under their season average, the 16th time in 20 games in 2019-20. Appalachian State was held to 57 points after coming into the game averaging 68.7.
• Little Rock's win snaps a four game losing skid to the Mountaineers as the Trojans now lead the all-time series 7-6. The Trojans are 3-3 in games played in Boone, North Carolina.
First Half Notes
• Little Rock raced out to another fast start, scoring 10 of the game's first 12 points and building a 15-5 lead early. Coupet scored eight of Little Rock's first 10 points, helping the Trojans build the early lead.
• Appalachian State answered with a 13-4 run of its own, pulling to within one at 19-18 with 10:45 remaining. But a 6-3 run by the Trojans gave Little Rock the 25-21 lead at the 7:26 mark. Two of the baskets during that stretch were knocked down by Stulic.
• Maric then added back-to-back baskets for Little Rock as the Trojans lead extended back to seven at 30-23 with 3:54 remaining. The Trojan defense kept the Mountaineers without a field goal for over four minutes during that span.
• Little Rock's free throw shooting helped them maintain the lead down the stretch of the first half, knocking down six over the final three and a half minutes, with a three pointer by Stulic with 1:20 remaining pacing Little Rock to the 37-29 halftime lead.
• The Trojans shot 56% from the floor in the opening half, making 14-of-25 from the floor and 4-of-8 from three-point range while going 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. Coupet and Stulic led the Trojans with 10 points each as Little Rock held Appalachian State to just 33% shooting in the opening half as the Mountaineers were just 4-of-9 from the line.
Second Half Notes
• Stulic opened the second half getting fouled on a three point attempt, then knocked down all three of his free throws to open a 40-29 lead. Back-to-back layups from the Mountaineers got them to within seven at 40-33, but that sparked a 9-0 run for Little Rock to break the game open.
• During that 9-0 run, Lottie knocked down three-straight baskets, followed by a layup from Maric and a free throw from Monyyong. It gave the Trojans their largest lead of the game at 16 points.
• The closest Appalachian State would come in the second half was within 14 on three separate occasions, the last of which was at 68-54 with 2:32 remaining. The Trojans led by as many as 22 at 67-45 at the 4:37 mark off a three from Lukic.
• Maric came alive in the second half, scoring 11 of his 17, while Stulic added eight. Little Rock shot 51.9% from the floor and 714% from the free throw line while Appalachian State struggled once again, connecting on just 32.1% of its attempts and going 0-for-5 from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes.
Up Next
• Little Rock begins a favorable home stretch over the next three weeks, playing four of its next five games at the Jack Stephens Center. That run begins Wednesday when Little Rock plays host to Troy in the battle of Trojans, tipping at 6:30 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center.
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