Khalen Robinson and the Bryant Hornets put a beatdown on top-ranked North Little Rock on Tuesday night.
Robinson, a senior guard, scored 24 points, and the No. 7 Hornets hit 25 of 47 field-goal attempts in taking a 73-56 victory over the host Charging Wildcats.
Bryant (15-4, 5-1) won its fifth consecutive game and now shares the 6A-Central Conference lead with Conway (14-4, 5-1), the team they play at home Friday.
"It's January," Bryant Coach Mike Abrahamson said. "It's nice, but it doesn't mean anything at the moment. It does mean we're playing well now, but there's eight games to go. We've got to maintain."
North Little Rock (16-5, 4-2) was playing shorthanded -- senior Kylon McCollugh was out nursing a sprained knee -- and leading scorer Collin Moore got into quick foul problems against the Hornets.
But Charging Wildcats Coach Johnny Rice was quick to point out Bryant was too much for North Little Rock on the boards.
"They knocked down shots and were physical on the boards," said Rice, whose team took only 18 shots in the first half. "We turned it over a lot early, and most of those were unforced. They didn't press us. They didn't come after us and try to turn it over. When you only get one shot, it's not good."
Bryant led 36-17 with 4:12 left before halftime, but North Little Rock closed to within 37-28 by halftime. Shawn Fudge hit a three-pointer to pull the Charging Wildcats to within 37-31, but Bryant scored 15 of the next 18 points for a 52-34 advantage.
"We got some block outs, which was key," said Abrahamson, whose team collected 10 offensive rebounds. "North Little Rock responded. We knew they weren't going away. They're a championship program. But I'm proud of our guys for withstanding that. We got out to a good start, took a punch to the face and responded."
Robinson hit three of the Hornets' six three-pointers. He scored nine of his team's final 11 points of the third quarter, knocking down a three-pointer and completing back-to-back three-point plays.
Abrahamson said Robinson is back to playing at 100 percent after suffering an injury shortly before the holiday break.
"He had a good game," Abrahamson said. "He was out for a while right after Christmas. He missed a couple of games and when he came back, he could only play for a little bit. He looked good tonight and he looked good Friday against Cabot, so we think he's completely back."
Bryant was 6 of 11 on three-point attempts and 17 of 22 from the free-throw line. North Little Rock was 20 of 43 from the floor and 9 of 19 from the line.
Spencer Simes led North Little Rock with 19 points. Moore, in his limited playing time, scored six points while grabbing 10 rebounds.
Bryant's Camren Hunter poured in 15 points, and Treylon Payne scored 14 points. Catrell Wallace grabbed eight rebounds.
Sports on 01/23/2019