Postgame radio interview with Mark Byington

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Ruot Monyyong tallied his Sun Belt leading eighth double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds, and Little Rock shot 56 percent to earn a 79-73 men's basketball win over Georgia Southern Monday night in the Jack Stephens Center.

Eagles of the Game
Elijah McCadden posted 15 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Calvin Wishart tallied 15 points, three rebounds and two steals. Simeon Carter collected 10 points, four blocked shots and three rebounds, and Isaiah Crawley registered 13 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Key moments
The Eagles (9-7, 3-2) trailed 67-65 after a Crawley dunk with 3:21 to play, but the Trojans answered with a Ben Couplet Jr. jumper late in the shot clock. After McCadden's pull-up floater rimmed out, he was whistled for a foul on Jovan Stulic's 3-point try from the corner as the shot clock was about to expire. Stulic made all three to extend the margin to 72-65 with 1:23 remaining. 

The Eagles cut the margin to 76-73 after a McCadden free throw and were forced to foul Isaiah Palermo, who came into the game as a 58 percent free-throw shooter, with 14.6 seconds left. The freshman calmly sank them both to put the game out of reach.

Jaizec Lottie made two pull-up jumpers, and Markquis Nowell added a triple as Little Rock (11-5, 5-0) scored 10 in a row and opened a 24-10 cushion midway through the first half. The Eagles answered with a 13-4 spurt, keyed by McCadden's eight points, and went on to trail 42-37 at halftime. 

Key stats
Little Rock made one more field goal than Georgia Southern, but took 11 less shots from the floor. The Trojans also outscored the Eagles 19-11 from the charity stripe. 

Next up
Georgia Southern opens a two-game Sun Belt homestand against ULM Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night - all Georgia Southern faculty and staff receive a $1 ticket when they show their Eagle ID (limit 4 per person).