OVERALL
Each team won one game this weekend. Little Rock played well on Friday, and UTA played well on Saturday to split the series. Both teams are now 4-4 in Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball.
Game 1 – Friday – uta 59, LITTLE ROCK 66
UTA couldn’t get much going on offense, shooting just 28% for the game. Little Rock was able to get the ball into the paint for high-percentage shots. The Mavs, who usually take care of the ball very well, committed 19 turnovers. Nicolas Elame, who missed a couple of recent games due to an injury, returned to the lineup to score 10 points. UTA was down by 21 with about 8 minutes left and was able to make it a one-possession game late. This was UTA’s third loss to a good Little Rock team this season. Center Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu continues to impress, coming off the bench to play 30 minutes, getting 14 rebounds and blocking 2 shots.
| Record | 1 | 2 | Final | |
| Little Rock | 8-6, 4-3 Sun Belt | 28 | 38 | 66 |
| UT Arlington | 7-8, 3-4 Sun Belt | 23 | 36 | 59 |
| FG | 3 PT | FT | Leading Scorers | |
| Little Rock | 41% | 8-27 29.6% | 8-15 52.4% | Maric 14 pts. Lukic 14 pts. Monyyong 12 pts. |
| UT Arlington | 44% | 11-23 47.8% | 24-28 85.7% | Wells 14 pts. |
Game 2 – SATURDAy – uta 66, LITTLE ROCK 61
The Mavs’ offense found some rhythm in Saturday’s basketball game and established an early lead to defeat Little Rock for the first time this season. Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu started at center and got 8 rebounds, scored 5 points and blocked 4 shots in 32 minutes. The Mavs defended the paint well, allowing only 26 points in the paint and scoring 13 points on 16 Little Rock turnovers. UTA also held Little Rock’s star center Ruot Monyyong to just 9 points (he averages 13 points per game). Little Rock was only 6-25 (24%) from three-point range, while UTA was a bit better at 8-24 (33%). Sam Griffin scored 17 points on 6-13 shooting (3-6 from 3pt) and Jordan Phillips scored 16 points, including a highlight- reel dunk in the first half. Nicolas Elame had another good game in his second game back after returning from an injury, scoring 8 points and making 4 assists.
| Record | 1 | 2 | Final | |
| Little Rock | 8-7, 4-4 Sun Belt | 26 | 35 | 61 |
| UT Arlington | 8-8, 4-4 Sun Belt | 36 | 30 | 66 |
| FG | 3 PT | FT | Leading Scorers | |
| Little Rock | 32.8% | 6-25 24% | 15-19 78.9% | Maric 13 pts. |
| UT Arlington | 41.7% | 8-24 33% | 8-11 72.7% | Griffin 17 pts. Phillips 16 pts. |
Next series: 2 games at Arkansas State Friday and Saturday (the Red Wolves are 2-4 in Sun Belt play, losing both games at Louisiana this weekend).
The Rusty Maverick 