After a successful road trip, the Little Rock Trojans men’s basketball team will host Eastern Illinois on Thursday night at the Jack Stephens Center. Both teams hold identical records of 7-10 overall, with Little Rock standing at 4-2 in conference play and Eastern Illinois at 4-3.
Last week, Little Rock defeated SIUE and Lindenwood, marking four wins in their past five games. The team aims to secure its third consecutive league victory against the Panthers. Thursday’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m., with radio coverage on 106.7 Buz2 and video streaming available via ESPN+.
During halftime, members of the 2025 OVC Champion Men’s Indoor Track Team will receive commemorative rings.
Eastern Illinois leads the all-time series between the teams, holding a 5-3 advantage.
Little Rock head coach Darrell Walker commented on his team’s recent performance: “We had a good week on the road, and now it’s important that we protect our home court. We’ve been able to rest, prepare, and get ready for this week. We’re excited to be back at home, playing at a high level, and we want to keep that momentum going.”
Johnathan Lawson was named OVC Player of the Week after notable performances in both road victories. Against SIUE, he scored 23 points with five assists and two steals while playing every minute of the game. He also went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line—four coming in the final minutes—as Little Rock overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to win 73–70. At Lindenwood, Lawson contributed 20 points along with five assists, three rebounds, two steals, and one block. He played nearly all but one minute across both games.
Braxton Bayless delivered his best performance as a Trojan at Lindenwood by scoring 21 points along with seven rebounds and seven assists in 38 minutes.
With these results, Little Rock is currently part of a five-way tie for second place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings.
Eastern Illinois enters Thursday’s matchup having won three straight OVC games. Most recently, they secured a narrow win over Western Illinois (57–55), which extended their home winning streak to five games. Zion Fruster leads EIU with an average of 15.1 points per game—ranking ninth in the conference—while Kooper Jacobi contributes just over ten points per game and leads EIU with an average of 6.1 rebounds per contest.
The Panthers rank third in the OVC for opponent three-point percentage (holding teams to 29 percent) and are second in free-throw percentage at 74 percent. After facing Little Rock, EIU will return home to play Blackburn College outside conference action on Sunday.
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