Braxton Bayless’ college basketball career came to an end on Wednesday in the opening round of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
The former Ankeny star battled foul trouble and played just 26 minutes, well below his 33.3 average, in Little Rock’s 72-62 loss to Lindenwood. The graduate guard scored four points on 1-of-7 shooting and grabbed one rebound in the loss.
Little Rock got off to a slow start and trailed by as many as 18 points. The Trojans (12-20) rallied from a 35-21 halftime deficit and took a 50-49 lead on a jumper by Johnathan Lawson with about 7 minutes left, but Lindenwood then answered with a 14-2 run.
Bayless started all 32 games this season and was the team’s fourth-leading scorer. He averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
Bayless was honored during the Senior Day festivities on Saturday, when the Trojans posted an 89-70 victory over Southern Indiana to earn a berth in the OVC tournament. He scored 12 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting and dished out seven assists.
After leading Ankeny to a Class 4A state title in 2020, Bayless played his first two seasons at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa. He then spent two years at Niagara before reuniting with former Indian Hills coach Hank Plona at Western Kentucky last season, then took advantage of a sixth year of eligibility to transfer to Little Rock.