NEW ORLEANS -- When it finally was time for the top-seeded UALR Trojans to play, it took a little while for them to get going.
After earning a bye for the first round of the women's Sun Belt Conference Tournament, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock was in a tight game early in the quarterfinals Thursday at Lakefront Arena. But junior guard Monique Townson provided an offensive lift with 11 second-quarter points, and gradually all the Trojans came around in a 69-53 victory against No. 9 seed Appalachian State.
The Trojans (24-7), reaching the Sun Belt semifinals for the 10th consecutive season, will play No. 5 seed Louisiana-Lafayette at 5 p.m. Saturday.
"When Mo started hitting, it opened everything up for us," UALR Coach Joe Foley said. "I think it really relieved our team, and we thought, 'OK, we've got this solved now.' "
Townson had 11 of her 19 points in the first half to loosen up the Mountaineers' match-up zone, and senior forward Kaitlyn Pratt, playing in her hometown, took advantage by scoring 12 of her game-high 20 points in the second half. She also added eight rebounds.
The Trojans had made just 11 three-pointers in their past five games combined. They finished Thursday just 4 of 11, but Townson made three in a span of less than six minutes of the second quarter to ensure the Trojans trailed just 33-32 at halftime.
"We went into this with a game plan of challenging Monique Townson to make shots," Appalachian State Coach Angel Elderkin said, "and I think Monique did an exceptional job, specifically in the first half. That was the plan, and Little Rock responded."
Appalachian State twice led by a point early in the third quarter before Pratt went to work. She scored back-to-back baskets to start a 9-0 run that gave UALR a 44-36 lead with 4:45 left in the third.
Q. Murray converted a three-point play for the Mountaineers to stop the run, but UALR closed the quarter with a 9-4 surge to lead 53-43 after three quarters.
"We tried to take our time on every possession [in the third quarter]," Townson said. "We focused on trying to get easy buckets inside, and that helped us out a lot."
Joi Jones started the fourth quarter with a layup for the Mountaineers, but Townson answered with a jumper. Jones scored again, but Pratt answered with a layup. Pratt had two more baskets as UALR finished with a 10-3 run.
"I thought in the second half we really got intense and started driving the ball much better," said Foley, whose team led by at least eight points the whole fourth quarter. "I thought it opened up some holes and got our post players a little more room to operate.
"They did a good job in their match-up zone. In the first half, it kind of slowed us down a little bit. In the second half, I thought we played about as well as we could have against it."
The Mountaineers (12-19) held a 15-14 lead after the first quarter, and Madi Story's three-pointer started their second-quarter scoring. Appalachian State led by five with five minutes left before the Trojans had their best scoring push of the half.
Pratt sandwiched two baskets around a three-pointer by Townson as UALR grabbed a 28-26 lead. Townson made a layup and a career-high third three-pointer as the Trojans took a 33-32 halftime lead.
"I think the turning point in the game was in the second quarter with five minutes to go when Coach Foley called the timeout," Elderkin said. "Until that point in the game, we were scoring pretty easily. From that point on, it was like they locked us up and every basket we earned we had to earn with a hand in the face. No shots were uncontested."
Before the game, Foley was honored with the Sun Belt coach of the year award, which he chose to give to Elderkin, who has been battling endometrial cancer.
Ronjanae Degray and Sharde' Collins each chipped in 11 points for the Trojans, who shot 28 of 62 (45.2 percent) from the floor.
Murray led the Mountaineers with 20 points, Jones scored 10. Appalachian State made 21 of 55 shots for 38.2 percent.
At a glance
Lakefront Arena, New Orleans
QUARTERFINALS
THURSDAY’S GAMES
UALR 69, Appalachian State 53
La.-Lafayette 66, Texas State 64 Texas-Arlington 65, South Alabama 53
Troy 105, Arkansas State 72
SEMIFINALS
SATURDAYS GAMES — All times Central
UALR vs. La.-Lafayette, 5 p.m.
Texas-Arlington vs. Troy, 7:30 p.m.
Sports on 03/10/2017