RALEIGH, N.C. — A slow start for Little Rock led to an early deficit at PNC Arena, one in which the Trojans could never recover, dropping a 74-58 decision to NC State.
"You can't start out a game like we did against a team like NC State," said head coach Darrell Walker. "They are too talented and too experienced, especially on their home court, to fall behind early. I did like how we responded in the second half. I thought the guys on the court played hard and I saw some positive things."
Game Notes
• For the game, Little Rock shot 37.3%, its lowest output of the season. The Trojans made just 22 of 59 shots and went 4-of-18 from three point range (22.2%) as the Wolfpack forced 17 turnovers.
• Little Rock was efficient from the free throw line, making 10 of its 14 attempts.
• Ruot Monyyong and Ben Coupet Jr. combined for 41 of Little Rock's 58 points as the duo both set career highs. Monyyong finished with his second double-double, scoring 20 points and adding 10 rebounds while Coupet score 21 with four rebounds. The duo also combined to shoot 63% from the floor (17-of-27).
• Markquis Nowell finished with eight points, six rebounds and six assists for Little Rock, also registering a pair of steals against the Wolfpack.
• Outside of those three players, the remaining five Trojans that saw playing time combined for just nine points.
• Coach Walker played the same five players for the duration of the second half as Nowell, Coupet, Monyyong, Isaiah Palermo and Jovan Stulic accounted for all 100 minutes of playing time over the second stanza.
• The Trojans forced nine NC State turnovers in the second half and matched the Wolfpack in the paint for the game with each teams scoring 36 points. Monyyong finished with three dunks for the Trojans, upping his season total to 13 through six games.
• Little Rock falls to 0-2 all-time against NC State, playing its first game against the Wolfpack since the 1986 NCAA tournament. The Trojans are now 1-8 all-time against current members of the ACC.
First Half Notes
• Shooting woes plagued the Trojans early as Little Rock missed its first six shots from the floor before a dunk from Ruot Monyyong at the 16:41 mark, tying the game at 2-2. NC State started 4-of-7, including hitting its first two three point attempts, racing out to a 14-4 lead at the 15 minute mark.
• NC State extended its lead to 16 at 25-9 with 9:37 remaining. The Wolfpack run was broken by a pair of free throws by Kamani Johnson, coming with the first NC State foul of the first half. After Coupet's jumper got the defecit down to 25-13, the Wolfpack responded with a layup and long three to push the advantage to 17 at 30-13 with 7:37 remaining.
• The Wolfpack run continued, using a 14-2 spurt over a six minute stretch to extend the lead to 39-15 with three minutes remaining. Little Rock scored the last six, however, pulling the halftime deficit to 39-21.
• Little Rock shot just 27.6% from the floor in the opening half (8-of-29) and committed 11 turnovers, leading to a 14-2 edge for the Wolfpack in points off turnovers. Just five Trojans scored in the opening 20 minutes, led by eight points from Ruot Monyyong and seven from Ben Coupet Jr.
Second Half Notes
• After NC State upped its lead to 23 early in the second half at 44-21, Little Rock responded with a 5-0 run of its own, thanks to a dunk from Monyyong and a layup from Nowell for his first points of the game, getting back to within 18 at 44-26 with 17:38 remaining.
• Showing its fight, the Trojans used an 8-0 run to pull to within 15 at 49-34. Isaiah Palermo hit a long three as the shot clock expired, followed by a layup and a pull back three from Ben Coupet Jr.
• Little Rock played the same five players through the opening 12 minutes and outscored NC State 24-22 during that span, getting to within 16 at 61-45 with 7:30 remaining. The lead ultimately got down to 13 at 71-58 off a dunk from Coupet with just over a minute to play.
• The Trojans were much better shooting in the second half, making 46.7% of its shots from the floor (14-of-30) but connected on just three of 11 three point attempts (27.3%). For the second half, Little Rock outscored NC State 37-35.
Up Next
• Little Rock plays four of its next five games at home, closing out the Barclays Center Classic Tuesday and Wednesday. The home stretch begins with St. Francis Brooklyn Tuesday, November 26, tipping at 6:30 p.m.
Sluggish first half costs Trojans at NC State
For the game, Little Rock shot 37.3%, its lowest output of the season. The Trojans made just 22 of 59 shots and went 4-of-18 from three point range.
