Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Senior D’Andre Williams scored on a drive to the hole with four seconds left to lead the UALR men’s basketball team (6-11, 3-0 Sun Belt) to a 40-38 victory over Florida Atlantic (5-11, 1-2) at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans held FAU scoreless over the final 4:25 to overcome a 38-32 deficit and remain undefeated in conference play.

FAU used a 9-0 run late in the game to take its first lead of the night, and held a 38-32 lead with 4:26 left to play after a tip-in by Kore White. Greg Gantt delivered a three pointer during the 9-0 run at the 6:20 mark to put the Owls ahead for the first time in the game.

Down by six, Williams and sophomore Chuck Guy earned trips to the foul line on consecutive possessions and knocked down all four foul shots to bring UALR within two, 38-36. Guy then grabbed a rebound on a missed jumper by Gantt, and took the ball the length of the floor for a game-tying layup with 59 seconds left.

The Trojan defense came up with another stop on FAU’s next possession, as Alex Tucker missed a shot in close, and the Owls called timeout with 24.1 seconds left as the rebound went out of bounds to UALR. The Trojans went to Williams out of the timeout, and the Amarillo, Texas-native drove all the way to the hole to make the off-balance game winner. FAU pushed the ball up the floor as time wound down, but Gantt’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.

Williams totaled 14 points, three assists and three steals to lead the way for UALR. Guy finished with nine points off 3-of-7 shooting, and was limited to just eight minutes in the second half due to foul trouble. The Fort Worth, Texas-native picked up his fourth foul with 16:41 left in the game and did not return to the court until the 4:50 mark.

White led all players with 17 points and seven rebounds in the losing effort, going 7-of-12 from the floor. The Owls outshot and outrebounded the Trojans (35 to 30), but committed 19 turnovers and were outscored at the foul line 13-to-6.

Offense was at a premium on Saturday night, as the two teams combined for just 78 points – the lowest total in the seven-year history of the Jack Stephens Center. Neither team shot over 33.0 percent from the field, as the Trojans made 13-of-44 field goal attempts (29.5 percent) while the Owls were 15-of-46 from the floor (32.6 percent). The two squads combined to go 3-of-28 from three-point range.

UALR led by as many as eight points in the first half, but took a slim 22-20 lead into the intermission after FAU closed out the first half with a 7-1 run. The Trojans led by eight points on four occasions, the last of which came at the 4:55 mark as senior Courtney Jackson sank a pair of free throws to make it a 21-13 contest. Down by eight, White scored consecutive baskets in the paint to spark FAU’s 7-1 run and bring the Owls within two at the break.

The two teams combined for 23 turnovers in the first half (12 by UALR), and the Owls shot just 30.8 percent from the field. The Trojans shot 40.8 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes, but went the final 8:12 without a field goal. Williams put UALR on top 19-11 with a jumper at the 8:13 mark, but the Trojans followed up his bucket by going 0-for-7 from the field with four turnovers the rest of the half.

The Trojans held a 32-29 lead with 7:26 left in the game after a tip-in by Michael Javes, but would endure a 5:29 second scoring drought after the bucket by the 6-10 freshman. FAU took advantage of UALR’s dry spell by rattling off a 9-0 run, with six points from White, to go on top 38-32 with 4:26 remaining.

Williams finally snapped the drought, and began UALR’s comeback, by making a pair of foul shots with 1:57 on the clock. The Trojans were just 5-of-24 from the field in the second half (20.8 percent), including an 0-for-9 effort from three-point range, but went 8-of-11 from the foul line – and 4-for-4 over the final two minutes.

UALR returns to action Thursday, Jan. 12, when it travels to Monroe, La., to take on the ULM Warhawks at 7:30 p.m.