Postgame radio interview with Brian Burg

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Nikola Maric tallied 24 points and eight rebounds, and Little Rock scored 19 straight points in the second half to earn a 78-66 comeback win over Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams Thursday night in the Jack Stephens Center.

Eagles of the Game 
Prince Toyambi led the Eagles with a career-high 17 points and a season-high eight rebounds, and Elijah McCadden tallied 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. Andrei Savrasov totaled 14 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Key Moments 
Georgia Southern (7-5, 0-1) led 61-54 following a McCadden free throw with 8:03 to play but failed to score for the next seven minutes of game time. The Eagles missed seven straight shots and three free throws during the stretch, and CJ White made three triples in a 19-0 Little Rock run that put the home side ahead 73-61 with 1:05 to play.

Kamari Brown scored five points as the Eagles capped the first half with a 10-2 run to take a 36-27 advantage into the locker room. GS forced turnovers on five straight Trojan possessions during the stretch. GS pushed the margin to 54-44 6:46 into the second frame on a Grant Weatherford triple. The Eagles led 60-50 with 9:16 left on the clock, but Little Rock (6-7, 1-0) outscored GS 28-6 the rest of the way.

Stats and Notes
- Georgia Southern held Little Rock to 33 percent shooting in the first half, but the Trojans shot 58 percent in the second frame.
- The Eagles outscored the Trojans 52-38 in the paint.
- The Trojans outscored the Eagles 23-8 from the free-throw line and had 15 more attempts than Georgia Southern.
- Georgia Southern was without two starters due to COVID-19 protocols.

Up Next
The Eagles are slated to play at Arkansas State Saturday at 5 p.m. ET in First National Bank Arena. The game will air on the GS Radio Network and ESPN+.