Trojans look for fresh start as OVC play begins Thursday
The Little Rock Women's Basketball team looks to find momentum as OVC play begins Thursday against SIUE. Little Rock and SIUE meet Thursday night at the Jack Stephens Center with a 5 p.m. start. The game is available for live streaming on ESPN+, with Dorian Craft and JB Brazeal on the call, and can also be heard on Sports Animal 920 AM.
LAST TIME OUT
The Trojans opened strong against Missouri State, quickly taking a 6-0 lead early in the first quarter, sparked by Faith Lee's aggressive play and a solid jumper from Jordan Holman. However, Missouri State responded with a run, powered by the sharpshooting of Kyrah Daniels, who drained a crucial three-pointer to push the home team to a 26-17 lead by halftime. Lee was the standout for Little Rock, finishing with a team-high 20 points. Emerald Parker's effort was seen on the defensive end with eight rebounds. Despite strong efforts from Lee, Holman, and the Trojan defense, Little Rock struggled to keep pace with Missouri State's efficient offense and depth. The Trojans fell to the Bears, 67-45.
WHERE IT MATTERS
Ohio Valley Conference play begins this week, as the Trojans face SIUE Thursday and Eastern Illinois Saturday. Little Rock was picked to finish fifth in the OVC preseason poll; SIUE tied for eighth with UT Martin.
SERIES HISTORY
This is just the fifth meeting between the Trojans and Cougars. The first meeting came with the transition for Little Rock from the Sun Belt Conference to the Ohio Valley Conference. The Trojans lead the series, 3-1. The last time the two teams met, SIUE took a 67-61 win in Edwardsville on Feb. 1, 2024.
SIUE - FIRST LOOK
The Cougars enter OVC play with a 2-7 record. Their wins come over Roosevelt and SIU-Carbondale. SIUE had five players in double-figures in a 71-59 win over SIU-Corbondale including Macy Silvey (15), Ava Stoller (14), KK Rodriguez (12), Ava Gugliuzza (12) and Molly Sheehan (11). The Cougars are shooting 36.0% FG and 28.1% 3pt FG. KK Rodriguez makes her return to the floor, after missing 21 games last season. The Cougars look to scoring leader Brianna Wooldridge who's averaging 9.3 ppg.
