Western Illinois vs. UNI Pick Center

Little Rock beats Western Illinois 82-57, advances to OVC title game

Fri, Mar 8, 2024
NCAAB News (AP)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Khalen Robinson had 16 points to lead top-seeded Little Rock to an 82-57 victory over Western Illinois on Friday night to earn a berth in Saturday's Ohio Valley Conference championship game.

Robinson added seven rebounds for the Trojans (21-11). Deantoni Gordon scored 16 points, shooting 7 of 12 from the field. Jordan Jefferson finished 5 of 9 from the field to finish with 13 points. It was the ninth straight win for the Trojans.

The Leathernecks (21-12) were led by JJ Kalakon, who posted 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Ryan Myers added 12 points for Western Illinois. Quinlan Bennett finished with nine points.

Little Rock took the lead with 7:22 remaining in the first half and did not relinquish it. Makhel Mitchell led his team in scoring with eight points in the first half to help put them up 40-28 at the break. Little Rock pulled away with a 13-0 run in the second half to extend a 13-point lead to 26 points. They outscored Western Illinois by 13 points in the final half, as Robinson led the way with a team-high nine second-half points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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