The University of Arkansas-Little Rock was outrebounded and outscored in the lane by South Alabama and was held scoreless for more than five minutes in the fourth quarter, but the Trojans (22-7, 16-1 Sun Belt Conference) did just enough to earn their fourth consecutive victory Thursday with a 50-44 victory over the Jaguars (9-19, 4-13) at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala.
UALR struggled in the first half, committing six turnovers and shooting 35 percent from the floor. But the defense held South Alabama to 25 percent shooting from the floor and forced eight turnovers to give the Trojans a 25-21 halftime lead.
Leading 31-28 going into the fourth quarter, UALR used a 9-2 run in the first 2:36 to take a 40-30 lead. The Trojans got a layup and two free throws from Kaitlyn Pratt, a Kyra Collier runner and a three-pointer by Sharde Collins to start the quarter. The Jaguars cut the lead to 48-44 with 12 seconds left after two free throws by Candice Williams, but the Trojans hit six free throws in the game's final 30 seconds to preserve the victory.
The Jaguars outscored the Trojans 30-18 in the lane and outrebounded them 44-31, including a 20-11 edge in offensive rebounds. But UALR turned 21 South Alabama turnovers into 15 points and got 22 points off the bench to offset the Jaguars' edge in the lane.
The Trojans shot 33 percent (17 of 51) from the floor, including 20 percent (2 of 10) from the three-point line, but hit 78 percent (14 of 18) of their free throws. The Jaguars shot 29 percent (16 of 55) from the floor, but hit only 1 of 13 three-point attempts.
Collins led UALR with 13 points and Pratt chipped in 10. Colby Davis had 12 points to lead South Alabama.
TROY 90, ARKANSAS STATE 77
Arkansas State University had five players score 10 or more points, but Troy University (19-9, 12-5 Sun Belt) used advantages in points off turnovers and in the lane to get a victory at Trojan Arena in Troy, Ala.
The Red Wolves (6-23, 4-13 Sun Belt) led 16-10 after the first quarter, but the Trojans used a 10-2 run in the second quarter to take a 20-18 lead with 6:31 left in the first half. ASU tied the game at 20-20 on a layup by Lauren Bradshaw, then tied the game at 22-22 when Aaliyah Warren hit 1 of 2 free throws with 3:28 remaining.
Troy took the lead for good on a jumper by Kayla Robinson with 2:55 left in the first half to take a 24-22 lead, which grew to 30-27 at halftime. The Trojans went on to outscore the Red Wolves 35-29 in the third quarter and 25-21 in the fourth.
Troy forced 28 ASU turnovers and converted them into 27 points, while Arkansas State scored just 11 points on 17 Troy turnovers. The Trojans outrebounded the Red Wolves 48-47, including a 22-14 edge in offensive rebounds, and held advantages in second-chance points (25-13) and points in the lane (48-22).
Jada Ford led Arkansas State with 15 points, while Bradshaw added 12 points and 12 rebounds. Payton Tennison had 11 points for the Red Wolves. Robinson scored a game-high 23 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the floor for Troy, Arjae Saunders poured in 19 and Caitlyn Ramirez added 13.
SUN BELT MEN
UALR 62, SOUTH ALABAMA 57
The University of Arkansas-Little Rock (14-15, 5-11 Sun Belt Conference) shot 49 percent from the floor Thursday, including 10-of-18 shooting from the three-point line, to beat South Alabama (13-16, 6-10 Sun Belt) at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala.
South Alabama held a 32-18 lead at halftime, but UALR used a 12-2 run to trim the lead to 34-30 with 14:42 left in the second half. The Jaguars pushed the lead to nine points over the next two minutes, their largest lead of the second half, but two free throws from Kemy Osse cut the lead to 44-42 with 6:31 remaining. The Trojans took the lead for good at 56-55 with 1:04 left on a three-pointer by Lis Shoshi, then used a Marcus Johnson layup and four free throws from Osse to hold on. The Trojans went 16 of 19 (84 percent) from the free-throw line, while the Jaguars were 15 of 26 (58 percent).
Deondre Burns scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor, hitting all 4 of his three-pointers, to lead the Trojans offensively, while Johnson finished with 14. Ken Williams and Josh Ajayi scored 14 points each to lead the Jaguars.
TROY 81, ARKANSAS STATE 72
Arkansas State University had five players score more than 10 points despite being held to 34 percent shooting from the floor and 20 percent shooting from the three-point line Thursday in a loss to Troy University (17-13, 9-7 Sun Belt) at Trojan Arena in Troy, Ala.
The Red Wolves (19-10, 10-6 Sun Belt) made 1 of their final 7 shots in going 26 of 77 from the floor, including 4 of 20 three-pointers. The Trojans shot 46 percent (23 of 50) from the floor and 33 percent (8 of 24) from the three-point line. Arkansas State, which trailed 34-27 at halftime, outrebounded Troy 47-39 -- including a 20-5 edge in offensive rebounds -- and held a 44-26 edge in points in the paint while getting 29 points off the bench. Troy led the game throughout, but ASU did cut the lead to four points twice in the second half.
Tamas Bruce led the Red Wolves with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor, Devin Carter had 14 points, Deven Simms poured in 13, Rashad Lindsey added 11 and Donte Thomas chipped in 10. Jordon Varnado led Troy with 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Devon Walker had 18 points, Jeremy Hollimon had 14 and Wesley Person chipped in 11.
Sports on 03/03/2017