Round 2 for ASU, UALR set

Neither Arkansas State University nor the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has a scheduled game Thursday, and rivalry week doubles as a time to decompress.

The four teams are meeting for a second time this season with the ASU and UALR women beginning a doubleheader at noon Saturday at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro with the men's game to follow at 4 p.m.

Two weeks ago, ASU men's Coach Mike Balado said he used the extra time before ASU's 84-83 victory at UALR on Feb. 2 by watching and studying all of the Trojans' games since the season began in November.

This week, Balado may spend the quieter time early in the week figuring out how UALR went 3-1 in four games succeeding the Red Wolves' earlier victory at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.

For the Trojans, the down time is welcomed.

"It gives us a chance to heal," Coach Darrell Walker said. "It's good for us."

The Trojans are nursing injuries to four different everyday players (three starters), including respective rolled ankles to freshman guard Markquis Nowell and freshman forward Kamani Johnson and a hand injury to sophomore guard Jaizec Lottie.

Ryan Pippins, a reserve junior guard, returned from an eight-game absence in ASU's Feb. 9 victory at South Alabama after also suffering an ankle injury earlier in the month.

Neither Pippins nor Nowell -- who rolled his ankle Feb. 9 and missed Thursday's 56-52 victory against Texas-Arlington and returned to play eight minutes in UALR's 67-60 loss Saturday to Texas State -- are fully healthy.

Pippins played 18 minutes Thursday and one minute Saturday.

Having a few extra days this week to recover is needed, Walker said.

"Pippin and Markquis and Kamani, who rolled his ankle, they all get a chance to heal," Walker said. "So I have no problem with it. I'm happy with it, to be honest about it."

On Wednesday, Lottie visited a specialist to inspect if his second hand injury of the season required surgery.

After initially expecting to shut him down for the remainder of the regular season, Walker said Wednesday that Lottie's injury did not require surgery, but would sideline him for "10-12 days" from Wednesday.

Lottie initially injured his hand Dec. 19 in UALR's loss at Memphis. Walker then said Lottie would need to miss a month -- which would have been until mid-February, at the earliest -- to fully heal.

Lottie returned Jan. 10 after three missed games and played without issue for eight games through Feb. 7.

Should Lottie's timetable remain solid at 10-12 days, he could return Saturday against ASU. And should he come back, the Trojans' backcourt will be relieved if their two primary point guards, Lottie and Nowell, are able to go.

"It's been different without [Nowell] or Jaizec on the floor," said UALR redshirt junior Rayjon Tucker.

Lottie (31.3) and Nowell (30.7) trail only Tucker (36.7) in minutes played this season. The dueling point guards are the catalysts that keep the Trojans' offense running fluidly.

Either Nowell or Lottie have started at point guard in all 24 games prior to Thursday's victory when both were sidelined and Saturday, when Nowell was brought off the bench and Lottie was unavailable.

The Trojans (10-16, 5-8 Sun Belt Conference) have five regular-season games remaining. Saturday will begin a three-game road trip, including stops at Georgia Southern on Feb. 28 and Georgia State on March 2.

UALR, which sits in tie for eighth place with ASU and South Alabama in the Sun Belt, will close the regular season with a two-game homestand against Louisiana-Lafayette on March 7 and Louisiana-Monroe on March 9.

"Of course I want to be higher," Walker said. "I would've liked to have had this win [Saturday] so we could've moved up. I'm taking it one game at a time. My whole mindset is to get to New Orleans. If we can get to New Orleans, I think we'd be a very, very dangerous basketball team."

Sports on 02/18/2019

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