Was it a one-time flash or a trend that would provide a major boost
down the stretch?
Only time will tell. But for one night, UALR sophomore Gus Leeper was
really good in the Trojans’ 70-60 victory at Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday
night.
Leeper played sparingly as a freshman before a breakout performance in
the final seven games of the season, including the Sun Belt Conference
Tournament. He sat out all of last season with injuries and missed more than a
month this season with injuries.
He’s been slow to work himself into the rotation behind sophomore
Michael Javes. But on Thursday, he asserted himself against Louisiana-Monroe’s
undersized lineup. Leeper finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds on Thursday.
More importantly, he was able to play 17 minutes.
UALR hopes that is a sign of things to come.
BURN UNIT
UALR’s victory coupled with Arkansas State’s loss put the Trojans one
full game up on the Red Wolves in the Sun Belt Conference’s West Division. UALR
will either be 1.5 games or 0.5 games up going into next Thursday’s showdown
with Arkansas State in Jonesboro. UALR is off on Saturday while ASU travels to
Western Kentucky.
STAT OF THE GAME
Louisiana-Monroe’s leading scorer Amos Olatayo finished with 9 points
and 9 rebounds. But credit UALR’s Leroy Isler for shutting him down, especially
in the first half. Olatayo was just 3 of 10 from the field and 0 of 3 from
three-point range. He had only two points at halftime.
BTH KEYS REVISITED
Ground and pound: Gus Leper had
12 points and 6 rebounds, Michael Javes had 8 points and 6 rebounds and
Will Neighbour had 11 points and 6 rebounds. Mission accomplished. Grade: A.
Twilight zone: UALR didn’t settle for three-pointers and benefited as a
result. The Trojans made 6 of 10 threes for the night. Grade: A.
White Knight: James White had some moments, including a late block and
dunk on Thursday. But he struggled to get going offensively, finishing with
just 2 points and 3 rebounds. Grade: D.
THE GOOD
Josh Hagins finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and
had just 1 turnover.
THE BAD
UALR got outscored 37-34 in the second half, not exactly putting the
game away early.
THE UGLY
15 turnovers are far, far too many.
VEGAS, BABY
UALR was between a 4 and 6 point favorite, making those who bet on the
Trojans winners.
PREDICTIONS
Everyone went with UALR and everyone was a winner. Jeff Sagarin’s 70-63
was the closest.
UP NEXT
Valentine’s Day Massacre next Thursday in Jonesboro.
