Hot-shooting Trojans dominate

PETE PERKINS
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- UALR had an advantage in the attrition department from the start.
With more manpower, UALR also was able to generate a big points advantage.
Senior guards Laverne Smith and Alan Barksdale scored 21 and 18 points, respectively. Senior forward Stan Blackmon scored 20, and the Trojans left the Murphy Center with a 77-56 victory over Middle Tennessee.
Smith and Barksdale hit a combined 8 of 11 three-point shots.
"Was that good to see?" UALR Coach Porter Moser said. "Absolutely. Laverne Smith is a player who plays on confident rolls, and he got on one. And it was good to see that from Alan.
"But it started with inside-out passes. That just opens everything up."
A crowd of 1,037 watched Middle Tennessee cut UALR's lead to 46-37 after a follow shot by sophomore forward Bryant Mitchell with 17:12 to play.
But that was as close as Middle Tennessee would get.
Led by a string of points from Blackmon, UALR (10-6, 3-3 Sun Belt Conference) drove its lead to 64-42 on Blackmon's three-point play with 8:38 left.
The play was led by Barksdale, who had hit a three-pointer on UALR's previous possession.
After a Middle Tennessee turnover, Barksdale drove into the lane after a long pass from sophomore point guard Alex Finger.
Barksdale faded to the side of the lane, and bounced a no-look, behind-the-back pass to Blackmon, who was trailing on the play.
"As I was running, before I looked to catch the ball, I saw Stan down the court behind everyone," Barksdale said. "I thought I was too close to the baseline, so I just caught it and threw it to him."
"We've got a couple of players on this team that don't get credit for some things they can do," Blackmon said. "Sure, Alan can shoot, but he's a good passer, too."
Blackmon also was fouled on his layup and added the free throw.
"We've had some hurt players, but that's not an excuse," Middle Tennessee Coach Randy Wiel said. "UALR is a very good team."
Few teams have been as crippled by injuries as Middle Tennessee (5-11, 1-4).
"We have a very good inside player, and a very good perimeter player," Wiel said. "Unfortunately, they are lost for the season."
Senior center Lee Nosse, 6-10, suffered a stress fracture in his left hip after four games. Nosse averaged 10 points and 4.4 rebounds in 1999-2000.
Senior guard Fernando Ortiz led Middle Tennessee in scoring through 14 games, with an average of 13 points a game. But a knee injury ended his career after Middle Tennessee's 72-64 loss at South Alabama on Jan. 13.
"He had knee surgery in August, and did not practice with us until the season started [on Nov. 6]," Wiel said. "But it kept swelling up. They'd do a procedure on it each week. But last week they said to me, 'If he keeps playing, he won't have a knee left.' He can't play anymore."
"Losing Ortiz hurt them," Moser said. "I watched him play on tape, and he was a terrific player. I really liked him."
Injuries, and a defection, have hurt UALR, too.
Freshman point guard Bryan Crislip left school at Christmas to be closer to his girlfriend, a student at Virginia Tech. Freshman center Jake Yancey partially tore a ligament in his right knee on Dec. 9 and missed four games. He has returned to start in UALR's first six Sun Belt games.
Starting sophomore guard Mark Green broke a bone in his right foot on Dec. 31. Green is not expected to return until late February.
"We lost Mark Green, so I know how they feel," Moser said. "It just hurts your numbers."
Middle Tennessee lost another starter, to foul trouble, in the first half.
Senior forward Dale Thomas picked up his third foul with 6:04 left in the half, and was limited to eight minutes before halftime.
Thomas did not return until the 15-minute mark of the second half. He picked up his fourth foul and was back out at 12:51.
UALR made two first-half runs -- one at the start, the other at the end -- to take control.
UALR scored on its first five possessions to take a 12-5 lead at 16:27 on a layup by Blackmon.
Middle Tennessee took advantage of three-point shots, and took a 19-16 lead after a three-pointer from senior guard Kevin White with 11:12 left in the half.
But UALR outscored Middle Tennessee 24-12 over the final 10 minutes of the half.
Barksdale's layup off a baseline drive set UALR's halftime lead at 42-31.
"What I was worried about was whether we could get over a big victory," Moser said.
UALR defeated in-state rival and Sun Belt East Division leader Arkansas State 53-50 on Thursday.
"I think we were able to get over that," Moser said. "We came out focused."

This article was published on Sunday, January 21, 2001

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