PREVIEWING UALR
Sun Belt Conference member UALR enters Friday’s game with a 2-3 record. After starting the season with three losses, the Trojans have rebounded to post an 85-82 road overtime win against Southern and a 90-58 home triumph over Southern Arkansas. They finished with a 17-15 record last season and went 11-9 in conference play to tie for fourth out of 11 teams.
Preseason Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection Will Neighbour is averaging team highs of 18.8 points and 7.6 rebounds while also leading the team in field goal percentage (.585) and steals (1.8 spg). The 6-10, 225-pound senior forward from England has scored at least 21 points in three of five games, including a season-high 23-point outing at Southern. Neighbour has also attempted 20 more free throws (36) than the next highest total on the team (shooting .778) from the line. Sophomore guard Josh Hagins ranks second on the squad by averaging 12.2 points and leads the Trojans with his 3.6 assists an outing. On Tuesday against Southern Arkansas, the 6-1, 175-pounder was 7-for-8 from the field and finished with 18 points (one shy of career high), five rebounds, a career-high-tying eight assists and a career-high four blocked shots. He was 4-for-4 from 3-point range to up his season percentage to .409 (was 5-for-18 [.278] entering the game).
UALR is under the direction of Steve Shields, who owns a 166-146 (.532) career record and is in his 11th year as a collegiate head coach, all with the Trojans. He was the 2004 Sun Belt Coach of the Year, guided two teams to at least 20 wins (20 in 2007-08 and 23 in 2008-09) and won the 2011 Sun Belt Tournament to earn an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
