Opening Tip

     UALR (6-1, 1-0) looks to match its best start in school history (7-1, 2008-09) Tuesday when it opens the welcomes the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (4-2) to the Jack Stephens Center for the second-straight season.

     Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. and tickets range from $7-38 and can be purchased at the door or by calling 501-565-UALR.

Quick Hits

• UALR improved to 6-1 on the year with a 71-54 win over ULM and looks to match its best start in school history (7-1, 2008-09) Tuesday night (12/4) when it hosts Southern Miss.
• The Trojans knocked off ULM for its 300th win in program history.
• UALR is holding teams to 28.1 shooting percentage (94-335) while forcing 14.7 turnovers in its wins this season.
• Southern Miss ends a six-game home stand for UALR, who finishes December with 3-of-4 on the road.
• The Golden Eagles are 4-2 with its losses coming in their first two games of the year. Southern Miss erased a nine-point halftime deficit on Saturday (12/1) to knock off in-state rival Mississippi State 61-59.

Scouting Southern Miss

     Southern Miss enters Tuesday night's contest 4-2, having won four-straight after an 0-2 mark to begin the season. Its second loss of the season was to South Alabama, 69-67.

     In their last contest, the Golden Eagles erased a nine-point halftime deficit, including a 13-point hole with 14:39 remaining, to knock off rival Mississippi State. A jumper by Tanecka Carey jumpstarted an 18-5 run to tie the game with five minutes left. Ance Celmina hit the game-winning jumper with six seconds remaining as the Bulldogs failed to get off a shot.

     Southern Miss has three players that average double-digits, but the trio average nearly 70% of the team's scoring. Carey leads the team with 16.2 points per game while Jerontay Clemons adds 14.0 ppg and a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per game. Jamierra Faulkner adds 13.2 ppg.

     Southern Miss was picked to finish seventh in Conference USA in the preseason poll of head coaches. Faulkner was picked All-Conference preseason.

Flashback to Last Year

     UALR used a 24-4 run to end the first half to turn a four-point deficit to a 35-19 lead at intermission. The Trojans outscored the Golden Eagles 35-25 in the second half to take the 70-44 win in Little Rock.

     Taylor Gault scored a game-high 19 points and added five assists while Hannah Fohne added five rebounds. Taylor Ford recorded seven of UALR's 16 assists in the game.

     Jamierra Faulkner led the Golden Eagles with 18 points while Tanecka Carey chipped in 12. Carey and Ance Celmina each grabbed five boards.

       UALR used a 42-23 edge on the glass to pull away from Southern Miss.

      For more, click here.

The Reports Are In

     The second round of NCAA statistics were released Monday (Dec. 3) with sophomore Taylor Gault in the top-50 in a pair of categories.

     Gault is 48th in the nation with 18.7 points per game. More impressive may be her ranking of  40thin the nation in blocks, which is third among guards (and second among guards smaller than 6-0).

     As a team, UALR is fifth in the country in blocks (6.9), sixth in FG% defense (30.4), 30th in both FG% (40.8) and assist/turnover ratio (1.0), 39th in scoring margin (14.7) and 50th in turnover margin (+4.71)

A Turnover Turnover

     In the first three games, UALR had 64 turnovers and 36 assists (0.6 assist-turnover ratio). In the last three of the last four, UALR has 73 assists and only 45 miscues (1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio). After not having reached 20 assists in two years, UALR has done it twice this season and now is the only team in the Sun Belt to not have a negative assist-turnover ratio (109 assists and turnovers, 1.0).

Having a Block Party

     If last season was any indication, opposing players may want to think twice before entering the lane.

     UALR recorded the most blocks for a single season (114) in school history in 2011-12. It was the second time in coach Joe Foley's nine seasons a UALR squad hit the century mark (100 in the 2006-07 season).

     UALR returns 73.7 percent of its shot blocking from a team that finished third in the Sun Belt Conference with 3.5 blocks per game. UALR swatted seven shots twice last season, winning both those games. The Trojans are 13-1 when they record seven or more blocks a game under coach Foley.

     So far in 2012-13, UALR has 6.9 blocks per game and with a minimum of 29 games, The Trojans are on pace to smash the single-season record and finish with 200 blocks.

Trojans Rewind: ULM

     UALR used a 16-3 run to begin the game as a catalyst to complete a weekend sweep to begin Sun Belt play with a 71-54 win over ULM.

     The Trojans shot 50.0 percent or better for the second time this season, making 28-56 from the field. It was the fourth-straight game and fifth overall UALR has scored 70 points or more. 

     Senior Janette Merriex made 6-10 from the field, including 3-6 from downtown, for 16 points. Sophomore Taylor Gault also scored 16 while classmate Kiera Clark narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and a career-best nine boards.

     Freshman Shanity James hit all three of her field goals.

     For more, click here.

Next Up

     UALR kicks off a stretch of three away games in its next four contests to finish 2012 when it makes the short trip to Memphis, Tenn. to take on the Tigers Friday (Dec. 7). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.