Pippins steps up as Little Rock downs Louisiana 72-61, OT
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) Ryan Pippins scored 19 points and Oliver Black scored 17 with 11 rebounds and Little Rock snapped a three-game skid and beat Louisiana 72-61 in overtime in the Sun Belt Conference finale for both teams on Saturday.
Louisiana enters next week's conference tournament in New Orleans with a bye as the No. 1 seed and will play the winner of No. 8 Coastal Carolina versus No. 9 Texas State.
No. 12 Little Rock plays a first-round game Wednesday against fifth-seed Appalachian State.
Kris Bankston's dunk to start overtime put Little Rock (7-24, 4-14) ahead for good. Pippins scored 10 of Little Rock's 19 points in overtime.
Malik Marquetti made a pair of foul shots with a second left to tie the game at 53 at the end of regulation. Pippins' 3-pointer with 13 seconds to go put Little Rock ahead 53-51.
Bankston scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and Cameron Corcoran scored 10 for the Trojans.
Frank Bartley IV and JaKeenan Grant scored 17 apiece for the Ragin Cajuns (26-5, 16-2). The team shot just 19 of 57 (33 percent) from the field including 6 of 31 from 3-point range.
