OPENING TIP: Tennessee State is making its first official visit to Little Rock as a conference foe on Saturday afternoon. The last time traveled South was during the 2019 nonconference season, a win for the Tigers. With the win on Thursday, TSU is now two games out of first place which is occupied by SIUE and Tennessee Tech at 5-2 in league play. At 3-4, TSU is tied with EIU for seventh in the league. A win over Little Rock would push TSU back to .500 in the league.
WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN: TSU expanded its partnership with Cromwell Media, naming 102.1 FM The Ville as the flagship TSU men's basketball station. "The Voice of the Tigers" Greg Pogue returns for his 11th season behind the mic and will be reunited with his longtime partner Albert Dawson. The pregame show will begin 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the contest not the actual tip time in doubleheader situations. The action can also be heard on the TSU Tigers app.
The Matchup: Tennessee State Tigers (11-9, 3-4 OVC) at Little Rock Trojans (5-15, 1-6 OVC)
Date/Time: Saturday, January 21 at 3:30 p.m. CT (approx 25 minutes after the WBB game)
Location: Jack Stephens Center || Little Rock, Ark.
TV: ESPN+ — Hayden Balgavy (pxp), Patrick Newton (Analyst)
Radio: 102.1 FM The Ville — Greg Pogue (pxp), Albert Dawson (analyst)
LIVE STATS
LITTLE ROCK SERIES INFORMATION: Saturday is the fifth all-time meeting between TSU and Little Rock. The series dating back to 1992 is tied 2-2 after TSU defeated the Trojans 94-69 on New Year's Eve. Jr. Clay and Marcus Fitzgerald Jr., each finished with 24 points as the Tigers secured the 25-point win over one of the newest members of the OVC.
SCOUTING LITTLE ROCK: ULR is sitting on a six-game losing streak heading into Saturday's contest. After winnings its first OVC game against UT Martin, the Trojans have dropped all five in 2023, but have stayed competitive dropping all games by less than eight points. Myron Gardner leads the squad averaging 13.6 points per game. Gardner is second on the OVC pulling down 9.5 rebounds and is fourth in assists (3.6) per contest.
FITZGERALD FREE THROW FRENZY: Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. finished with 26 points in 34 minutes against Eastern Illinois on Thursday. Fitzgerald knocked down all 13 free throws he attempted and with 2:41 left in the first half scored the same amount of points as the Panthers (15). Since 2010-11, Fitzgerald is just the fifth TSU player to shoot 100 percent from the free throw line when knocking down 10 or more. Earlier this season vs. Brescia, Fitzgerald knocked down 16-of-17 from the stripe.
Marcus Fitzgerald Jr., vs. EIU (1/19/23) —13-of-13
Patrick Miller vs. EIU (12/29/12) — 11-of-11
Tahjere McCall vs. Loyola (Md.) (11/13/15) — 10-of-10
Mark Freeman vs. Murray State (1/28/21) — 10-of-10
Wil Peters vs. SEMO (12/4/10) — 10-of-10
MR. 2,000: Jr. Clay is 12 points shy of reaching the 2,000-point plateau and sits just outside the top 20 in OVC history. Clay is also 21 points away from tying former Morehead State and NBA player Kenneth Faried for 19th all-time in OVC history. Before arriving at TSU, Clay spent four seasons at OVC foe Tennessee Tech, scoring 1,661 for the Golden Eagles. In 18 games as a Tiger, Clay is at 327 total points (18.2 ppg).
CLAY KEEPS 20+ STREAK ENDS AT FIVE: Jr Clay's 20+ points scoring streak concluded against EIU when he scored 18 points in the win. During the five-game span, Clay averaged 22.2 ppg.
LINEUP CHANGES: Head coach Penny Collins has utilized eight different starting lineups this season. Collins' best-starting unit has taken the tip in eight of 20 games consisting of — Clay, Fitzgerald, Williams, Griffin, and Makuoi — with a 5-3 mark.
