UALR ends skid on Osse’s late 3-pointer

A senior struggling in his final home game came up big for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Monday night.

Kemy Osse, who missed his first seven shots from the floor, made a step-back three-pointer with 8.1 seconds left in the game to complete an improbable comeback in a 56-54 victory over Georgia Southern at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.

The Trojans twice trailed by more than 10 points in the second half, and it was 50-42 with 7:25 left. But UALR held Georgia Southern to four points the rest of the game as it began to chip into the deficit.

Andre Jones hit a layup with 2:39 left, then another with 1:43 left and drew a charge to get UALR the ball back with 1:27 left and trailing 54-53. Then after Georgia Southern’s Tookie Brown missed a free throw and Marcus Johnson got the rebound, UALR called a timeout with 17.7 seconds left.

Jalen Jackson then drove the lane and passed to Osse on the right wing, who hit the shot in front of his team’s bench. Georgia Southern’s Ike Smith then drove the right side of the lane but his shot went off the backboard and Lis Shoshi grabbed the rebound, clinching a UALR victory that snapped a four-game losing streak.

The Trojans finished on a 14-4 run.

Jackson has 16 points for UALR ( 14-15, 5-11 Sun Belt Conference), while Johnson and Hill each had 11. The Trojans shot 44.4 percent from the floor, made 6 of 20 three pointers and committed 15 turnovers.

The Trojans looked to be heading to a fifth consecutive loss for much of the game. Even though Smith was held to 15 points and Brown eight, Jake Allsmiller’s season-high 19 points kept the Eagles in front.

His three-pointer with 7:25 left put Georgia Southern up 50-42, but the Trojans stormed back.

Johnson hit a three-pointer from the corner, Maurius Hill made two free throws, Johnson made two free throws, then Jones drove the lane twice for layups to spark the comeback.

The comeback didn’t come until after UALR fell into a rut of settling for three-pointers in the first half, an issue that has plagued it throughout the four-game losing streak.

SUN BELT MEN ARKANSAS STATE 78, GEORGIA STATE 67

The Arkansas State Red Wolves established a six-point halftime lead on Monday night at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro and gradually increased control in the second half to defeat Georgia State 78-67 in the Red Wolves’ final Sun Belt home game.

The victory moves ASU (20-9, 11-5) into sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt Standings.