LITTLE ROCK -- The Little Rock women's basketball team, the leader of the Sun Belt Conference, struggled in the opening quarter of Saturday's rivalry matchup with Arkansas State, but surged ahead in the second and third quarters to win 53-43 and remain undefeated in conference play.
The Trojans (10-8, 7-0) made six turnovers in the opening six minutes of the game Saturday, but the Red Wolves (9-9, 4-3) also struggled from the floor. Malvern's Akasha Westbrook hit a high, arching jumper to give Arkansas State an early 7-2 lead late in the opening quarter.
Little Rock then outscored Arkansas State 43-16 over the next two-plus quarters to take control of the game. Leading scorer Ronjanae DeGray, who entered the game off of the bench, scored the Trojans' final six points of the quarter to take an 8-7 advantage into the second quarter.
"Offensively, we got in a little bit of a good flow, set some good screens, got some good shots in the paint and knocked them down," said Little Rock head coach Joe Foley. "It kind of got our confidence up and got us going."
The teams combined to shoot 7-for-27 in the first quarter. Little Rock improved to shoot 13-for-26, 50 percent, in the second and third quarters, while Arkansas State shot 4-for-9, 44 percent, in the second quarter, but sank to 2-for-13, 15 percent, in the third. Arkansas State head coach Brian Boyer said he was proud of how his team competed in the first half, but said he was frustrated with how the second half started.
"We came out and looked like a tired team," Boyer said. "We did not get ourselves going until probably too late. So, that is obviously a concern. But, again, our team did not let down. They kept trying, they kept competing trying to get it to a working number and we did. We just could never get the big play to get it over the top."
Tori Lasker made two 3-pointers to beat the shot clock in the third quarter as Little Rock pulled ahead. Westbrook said she tried to rally her teammates as it had an effect on them.
"Little Rock has always been very good defensively," Westbrook said. "Coach harped on how they are supposed to be the best defensive team in the conference. We knew that was coming, but, for some reason, we just not necessarily froze but we would make a cut or something and then stop. We definitely should have put a little bit more effort into the offensive end."
A shot by DeGray put Little Rock ahead 47-26 just 14 seconds in the final quarter. Arkansas State began to chip away at the lead. Fans of both teams reacted when Westbrook spun past her defender for a layup with 7:28 left to play. A 3-pointer by Jada Ford made it 47-35 with 6:47 on the clock.
Another jump shot by Westbrook made the score 51-42, but Arkansas State could not close the gap. Boyer said his team was unable to make the decisive play to make it closer.
"They make you play the entire shot clock on both ends of the court," Boyer said. "That is more of a mental thing, because we were fine after we got ourselves going. It was not a physical thing."
Free throws by DeGray and Keanna Keys put Little Rock back ahead by 12. Westbrook's free throw with 59 seconds remaining set the final score.
Westbrook led Arkansas State with 15 points, four rebounds and four steals in 37 minutes, the most for any player on either team. She shot 5-for-9 from the floor, but the rest of the Red Wolves combined to shoot 9-for-38, 23.6 percent.
Ford added eight points on 2-for-11 shooting. Lauren Bradshaw added four points and led the team in rebounds with five.
Arkansas State was held well under its season average of 66 points. Little Rock leads the Sun Belt in scoring defense, giving up only 55.6 points per game.
DeGray led all scorers with 16 points on 7-for-16 shooting in 32 minutes. She also grabbed seven rebounds.
The Trojans combined to out-rebound the Red Wolves 39-32. Keys added 13 points and seven rebounds. Monique Townson scored seven points and led the hosts in rebounds with eight.
The win improved Little Rock's record to 13-0 against Arkansas State at the Jack Stephens Center since it opened on campus in 2005. Gov. Asa Hutchinson was on hand to recognize Foley for becoming the 12th Division 1 women's coach to surpass 750 wins this season.
"It kind of validates what you do for your career if what you did is successful or not," Foley said. "That's the only thing it means to me. I have had a lot of great kids. I had some of them here tonight who played for me in the past. Those 750 are just as much a part of -- as a matter of fact, it's a bigger part of those.
"I haven't made a basket or grabbed a rebound or stole the ball. I didn't win any of them. I was just a part of it."
The win also gave Foley the career lead in Sun Belt wins over Boyer. Foley said the mark will likely go back-and-forth between the two coaches.
Both teams will be on the road for 4 p.m. games in the Sun Belt. Arkansas State will travel to Coastal Carolina and Little Rock will be at Appalachian State.
Sports on 01/22/2018