Staunch defensive effort leads Trojans past Braves

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — After fighting off a sluggish start, Little Rock used a 23-10 run and pulled away in the second half to win its second game in as many nights, defeating Alcorn State 67-50 at the Jack Stephens Center.
 
"I thought this was a great team effort defensively, and something everyone is really buying into," said head coach Darrell Walker. "We held a good Alcorn State team 24 points under their season average, and it kept us in the game when we couldn't make shots. This was another good win and now we get ready to play a really good East Tennessee State team Saturday."
 
Game Notes
 
• Markquis Nowell once again led Little Rock with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting with four rebounds and a pair of assists. At one point, he scored 12-straight points to help jump start the Trojan offense.
 
• Kamani Johnson set his career-high with 17 points and tied his personal-best with 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. His effort marked the fifth-straight game Little Rock has had a player notch a double-double.
 
• Jovan Stulic had his breakout game, scoring a career-high 11 points with six rebounds and three assists while playing 29 minutes. The freshman hit a three pointer as time expired in the first half to give the Trojans a lead it never gave up.
 
• Ruot Monyyong matched Johnson's total with 12 rebounds, marking the third time in the last four games the junior has eclipsed double digits on the glass. As a team, Little Rock outrebounded Alcorn State 44-35, including a 13-10 edge in offensive rebounds.
 
• Little Rock shot just 39.6% from the floor for the game, but limited Alcorn State to just 31.0% shooting on the other end. The Braves made just five of 27 three point attempts, compared to 6-for-20 for the Trojans.
 
• Little Rock doubled up Alcorn State at the free throw line, making 19 of its 28 attempts with the Braves converting on 9-of-14. Johnson made the most trips to the line for the Trojans, going 9-for-13.
 
• The Trojans improve to 5-3 on the season and 3-0 at the Jack Stephens Center. Little Rock improves to 9-3 all-time against Alcorn State and 8-1 against the Braves in Little Rock, winning eight-straight against the SWAC foe.
 
First Half Notes
 
• Four Trojan turnovers in the early going helped pave the way for Alcorn State to jump out to a 14-6 lead, including a 9-0 run, while holding Little Rock scoreless for nearly four minutes. The Braves extended their lead to nine 17-8 at the 12:00 mark, shooting 6-of-12 from the floor while Little Rock was 3-of-9 with six turnovers.
 
• Over a 9:50 minute span, Little Rock made just one field goal and watched as the Braves continued its 14-2 run to take its largest lead at 19-8. Free throw woes also returned as the Trojans missed both of its attempts during that span. Conversely, Alcorn State was cold from the floor as well as the two teams combined for 2-for-17 with six turnovers.
 
• Trailing 19-8, Little Rock held Alcorn State to just two field goals over five and a half minutes as Markquis Nowell scored 12-straight for the Trojans, pulling Little Rock to within one at 26-25 with just under a minute to go in the opening half.
 
• Down 29-25 with 49 seconds remaining, Ruot Monyyong converted a pair of free throws, Little Rock forced a turnover, and then Jovan Stulic hit a three from the left wing as time expired, giving the Trojans the 30-29 lead at the break.
 
• After a sluggish start, the Trojans shot 11-of-25 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, making nine of their last 14, but committed 11 turnovers in the first half. Little Rock held Alcorn State to just 34.5% shooting (10-of-29).
 
Second Half Notes
 
• The momentum gained at the end of the first half carried into the second as the Trojans scored the first nine points, extending their run to 14-0 and extended to their largest lead at 39-29. Nowell had six and Johnson had three during the span as Nowell reached 20 points for the fifth time in eight games.
 
• Monyyong grabbed his 10th rebound at the 13:19 mark, marking the fourth-straight game he has pulled down double digit rebound totals.
 
• After Alcorn State got to within seven at 46-39 at the 8:54 mark, Johnson rattled off the next six points of the game, extending Little Rock's lead to 13 at 52-39. A steal and score by Lottie pushed the Trojan run to 8-0, taking control at 54-39 with 6:10 remaining.
 
• Little Rock's lead was as many as 19 at 58-39, an advantage trimmed to 13 at 62-49, but the Braves were never able to get under 10. An and-one for Johnson with 1:38 remaining put the lead back to 16 at 65-49. Johnson then sealed the game with a dunk in the waning minutes, his first of the season.
 
Up Next
 
• Little Rock's three game home stand concludes Saturday when the Trojans welcome East Tennessee State to the Jack Stephens Center for a post-Thanksgiving showdown. Opening tip against the Buccaneers is set for 2 p.m. and will stream live on ESPN+.

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