LITTLE ROCK – For the third straight game to open conference play the UALR (8-7, 3-0 SBC) Trojans basketball team pulled out a thrilling victory, this time it was a 65-60 win over South Alabama (6-10, 0-3 SBC) inside the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans were led by senior forward Will Neighbour, who posted 22 points and 10 rebound for his fifth double-double of the season.
“It was a total team effort,” said head coach Steve Shields. “This team is becoming more of a team, more of a family, and that’s a credit to those senior leaders. I still go back to Will (Neighbour) and Leroy (Isler). Those guys are continuing to lead this basketball team in a very positive way.”
The win was UALR’s fourth straight and gives the Trojans their first 3-0 start to Sun Belt play since the 2011-12 season.
With the game tied at 60-all and under three minutes to go, the Trojans scored the final five points of the game on a jumper by sophomore James White and three free throws from junior Ben Dillard to pull away for the five-point win.
USA built its largest lead of the game at 11 with 15:38 to go, but the Trojans stormed back with a 14-0 run to take a 52-49 lead. Sophomore Kemy Osse hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 49-all at the 8:50 mark, and a layup by junior DeVonte Smith handed UALR a 51-49 lead – its first lead since 5-2.
The early lead didn’t last long, as the visitors hit four quick 3-pointers to grab a 14-8 lead just over six minutes into the contest. South Alabama wouldn’t relinquish its lead until Osse’s three with 8:50 left in the second half.
The Jaguars’ lead swelled to 37-27 with 1:33 left in the first half. But as they did all night, the Trojans fought right back. A layup by Smith and a two-handed dunk by White cut the lead to six before White fouled South Alabama’s Augustine Rubit on a 3-point shot. The USA forward hit all three of his free throws to put his team up 40-31 at halftime.
Neighbour and Rubit each had strong games, finishing with 22 points each and 10 and 13 rebounds, respectively. White added 13 points, three rebounds and two blocks for the Trojans. Senior Leroy Isler scored eight points while pulling down six rebounds and dishing out three assists.
Both Smith and junior Ben Dillard posted career highs in minutes played with 40 and 34, respectively. Smith provided a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with his seven timely points and six assists against just one turnover in 40 minutes at the point. Dillard added six points and two rebounds while making 3 of 4 at the foul line in the closing seconds.
The UALR bench was outscored 17-9 on the night, but came through when it counted. Osse scored his three points on the game-tying trifecta with under nine minutes to play, and Leeper added six crucial points to keep the Trojans within striking distance.
Antoine Allen tallied 13 points on 3-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc for the Jaguars in a losing effort.
The visiting Jaguars started out hot, starting the game 5 of 6 from beyond the arc to help them open up a double-digit lead. But the Trojans’ defense tightened up and held the visitors to just 4 of 28 from downtown over the remainder of the game.
The defense wasn’t the only aspect that stepped up for UALR in the second half. The Trojans were out-rebounded 21 to 13 in the first half, but responded by pulling down 24 second-half rebounds to the Jaguars’ 20.
UALR shot 11 of 26 from the floor in each half to finish the game 22 of 52 (42.3 percent), while USA shot 40 percent in the first half and just 19.4 percent in the second half to finish 18 of 61 (29.5 percent).
UALR returns to action on Saturday when it plays the backend of a men’s and women’s doubleheader against Troy at the Jack Stephens Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.
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