Key defensive stops down the stretch and dominance from the free throw line helped Little Rock account for a sub-par shooting effort, wearing down Prairie View A&M for a 71-66 victory in the season opener at the KFC Yum! Center.
"It was a sloppy game, but a win is a win," said head coach Darrell Walker. "There were some things we did well – our free throw shooting won the game for us. We rebounded the ball well and did some good things defensively, but we've got a lot to work on. We'll take the win, but we need to play much, much better Friday."
Game Notes
• Four Trojans finished in double figures on the afternoon, led by 17 points each from Markquis Nowell and Nikola Maric. Nowell's points came despite a cold shooting performance, going 3-for-17 from the floor, but a 9-for-9 performance at the free throw line. He also finished with six rebounds, five assists and five steals on the game.
• Maric finished with 17 points on an efficient 6-for-9 from the floor for the Trojans, just missing a double-double with nine rebounds and a block.
• Ruot Monyyong continued where he left off last season registering a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Monyyong was 7-of-10 from the floor and 2-for-6 from the line, adding a pair of blocks for the 17th double-double of Trojan career.
• Marko Lukic provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 11 points and a pair of clutch threes in the first half to help thwart a Prairie View run. He finished 3-for-5 shooting and was 3-for-4 at the free throw line to complement a pair of steals.
• For the game, Little Rock shot just 22-of-51 from the floor (43.1%) and was 4-for-17 from three-point range (23.5%). But the Trojans' extra practice at the free throw line paid off in a major way, making 23-of-29 from the charity stripe (79.3%), including 17-of-18 (94.4%) in the second half. Little Rock held a 29-4 edge in free throws as it utilized its inside game.
• Little Rock outrebounded Prairie View 35-26, including a 16-9 edge on offensive boards, leading to 18 second chance points. It also forced 24 Panther turnovers, leading to 33 of its 71 points.
• Little Rock is now 3-0 in season-openers under head coach Darrell Walker.
• The Trojans improve to 7-1 all-time against Prairie View, winning their seventh-straight game in the series. It was the first meeting between the two teams since 2002.
First Half Notes
• Ruot Monyyong raced out to a fast start, scoring five of the Trojans' first nine points over the opening four minutes. Little Rock raced out to a 9-2 start, forcing four Panther turnovers.
• The Trojans' struggled to find their scoring touch over the ensuing six minutes while committing four turnovers, allowing Prairie View to use a 14-4 run to build a 16-13 lead at the 10:46 mark. Back-to- back threes from Marko Lukic helped spark a 6-0 run for the Trojans on the flip side, reclaiming a 19-16 advantage at 8:50.
• Little Rock and Prairie View battled back and forth over the final nine minutes of the opening half, combining for four ties and five lead changes. Little Rock's final lead of the half came at the 1:52 mark off a three-pointer from Markquis Nowell, putting the Trojans on top 28-27.
• Turnovers and cold shooting down the stretch continued to plague Little Rock, however, as the Panthers made their final three field goals to take the 32-29 lead at the half. The Trojans shot just 10-of-25 from the floor, including 3-for-10 from three, with 10 turnovers.
• Monyyong led the Trojans with 10 points and a pair of rebounds in the opening half while Lukic posted seven points. Nowell struggled from the floor, going just 1-for-8 and 1-for-4 from three, but had four assists, four steals and three rebounds.
Second Half Notes
• Little Rock notched the first four points of the second half to reclaim the lead at 33-32, but that was quickly answered by a 6-0 run by Prairie View A&M for their largest lead of the game at 38-33 at the 17:00 mark.
• The Trojans and Panthers continued to battle back and forth in the early going of the second half, with the lead changing hands nine times in a 10 minute span. Trailing 44-43, a 4-0 run for the Trojans, including a pair of free throws from Bankston and a layup from Monyyong, put Little Rock on top 47-44 with 10:28 to play.
• A 6-0 run extended Little Rock's lead to seven at 53-46 at the 7:53 mark, tying its largest lead of the game. A jumper from Lukic and a four-point play from Nowell helped push the lead for the Trojans to 53-46.
• Prairie View's three point shooting kept the Panthers in striking range, hitting on three-straight possessions to keep the Panthers within two at 59-57 with 4:10 remaining.
• Tied 59-59 with four minutes remaining, Little Rock began to wear Prairie View down inside. All but four of the Trojans' final 14 points came at the free throw line as Little Rock was a perfect 8-for-8 down the stretch, pulling away for the victory.
• Little Rock shot 12-of-26 from the floor in the second half but was 17-of-18 from the free throw line to pull away for the victory.
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