Trojans' Early Deficit Too Much to Overcome
LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock women's basketball couldn't overcome an early deficit as the Trojans fell 58-49 to Louisiana Tech on Thursday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
Little Rock's Raeyana DeGray led the game with 14 points — her fourth consecutive game with at least 14. DeGray went 6-for-13 with the three rebounds in 37 minutes. She was one of three Trojans (3-5) in double figures as Ronjanae DeGray and Keanna Keys joined her with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Alexus Malone led the Lady Techsters (5-4) with 13 points while adding six rebounds. Kierra Anthony was also in double figures for Louisiana Tech as she posted 12 points while going 5-for-9 with two three-pointers.
The game got off to a rough start for Little Rock as Louisiana Tech ended the first quarter with a 22-7 lead after shooting 76.9 percent (10-for-13). The Trojans couldn't get their shots to fall as they shot just 18.2 percent (2-for-11). Louisiana Tech took its largest lead of the game at 20-4 with 54 seconds left to play in the quarter. The Lady Techsters made their presence known inside as they scored 14 of their 22 points in the paint. Forward Alexus Malone accounted for eight of Louisiana Tech's points.
Little Rock finally got its act together in the second quarter as it outscored Louisiana Tech 20-14 after shooting 50 percent (11-for-22). Down by 15, Little Rock ended the half on a 6-0 run and cut the deficit to 36-27. It was the first time this season that Little Rock trailed at the half. Raeyana DeGray accounted for half of the Trojans' points in the quarter as she ended the half with 12.
The Trojans continued to hack away at the Lady Techsters' lead as they outscored Louisiana Tech 14-13 in the third quarter. Little Rock shot 45.5 percent (5-for-11) while Louisiana Tech was 4-for-10. Down 13, the Trojans went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 47-41. A pair of free throws by Malone at the end of the quarter gave Louisiana Tech a 49-41 lead.
Things looked promising early in the fourth quarter as Little Rock cut the deficit to five at 49-44, but that was as close as it would get as Louisiana Tech soon built up an insurmountable 11-point lead with just over a minute left in the game. The Trojans held the Lady Techsters to just four field goals in the final quarter, but Little Rock couldn't drain the shots it needed as it went 2-for-14 (14.3%) in the final stretch.
The Lady Techsters came into the game averaging 39.6 rebounds per game, but the Trojans held them to their fewest of the season at 28.
Little Rock will now turn its attention to No. 3/6 Mississippi State on Sunday at 2 p.m. The SEC Network + matchup will pit the Trojans against the highest-ranked team they've ever faced.
Mountaineers Fall to Demon Deacons
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - App State University women's basketball (1-8) suffered a 78-49 decision to Wake Forest (5-5) on Thursday evening inside LJVM Coliseum.
LaPresha Stanley (Rockledge, Fla./Rockledge) paced the Mountaineers with a team and career-high 16 points while grabbing a team-best seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. Tierra Wilson (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds) also scored in double figures with 11 points, and Armani Hampton (Winston-Salem, N.C./Atkins) rounded out the leading scorers with eight points.
The battle inside the paint proved to be pivotal in the outcome as the Deacs posted a 52-24 edge in rebounding, particularly a 22-7 advantage on the offensive end that led to a 26-3 output in second-chance points. WF would score 46 of its points inside the paint with Bayley Plummer (Thomasville, N.C./East Davidson) and Maya Calder (Landover, Md./National Christian Academy) facing foul trouble.
App State got off to a strong start thanks to back-to-back field goals from Hampton and Plummer to give the Mountaineers a 4-0 lead. App's defense held WF scoreless for the first 3:11 of the contest. From that point on, both teams went back and forth with neither squad having a lead by more than two points. With the scored tied, 10-10, Wilson scored three straight points followed by a nifty layup from Nicola Mathews (Adelaide, Australia/College of Central Florida) that capped off a 5-2 spurt to give the Black and Gold a 15-12 lead. However, WF also responded by going on a 5-0 spurt to end the first period with a 17-15 edge.
Calder scored both of her field goals in the opening 1:04 of the second period to lift App back into the lead, 19-17. With the Mountaineers having the lead and the momentum, it looked like they were about to go on a run. But the hosts went on a 16-0 run over 5:37 while App missed seven straight shots during the stretch, giving the Demon Deacons a commanding lead.
After WF had come out of the half with a 39-24 lead, the Apps started strong out of the gate with a 6-0 surge that cut the deficit to single digits, 39-30. Stanley had a hand in the first four points with a layup and found Hampton for a jumper on the ensuing offensive possession. But Wake Forest responded with a field goal from Amber Campbell that put the advantage back in double digits, which it would never go back below 10 points the rest of the contest.
Appalachian ended the game with a season-low 14 turnovers, which is an area that the Mountaineers have been improving in.
App State will have an eight-day break before returning to action. The Apps will face Marshall on Saturday, Dec. 16 for the third of a four-game road swing.