Trojans Drop ETSU for Second Straight Win

Tuesday, November 29

Troy, Ala.

7:00 p.m.

Troy University

East Tennessee State University

Photo by: Cass Davis

11/29/2011 9:19:00 PM | Basketball (M)

By: Matt Mays

Box Score | Photo Gallery

TROY, Ala. – The nation's leading three-point shooting club continued to rain them in on Tuesday night as the Troy men's basketball team topped East Tennessee State at home, 79-71.

The Trojans (3-3), who entered the game as the nation's leader with 11.6 three-pointers made per game, dropped in 12 on the night in a 12-for-35 (.343) effort from beyond the arc.

The Trojans provided the three-point looks with their pressure defense that led to 20 ETSU (3-2) turnovers and 10 Troy steals. Troy scored 18 points of the Bucs turnovers on the night.

Justin Wright led the way for the Trojans with 15 points, 13 of them coming in the second half. Emil Jones (14), Will Weathers (14) and R.J. Scott (10) all contributed double-digits for the Trojans. Jones led the way with eight rebounds while Ray Chambers grabbed seven.

The Trojans return to the floor on Saturday when they host Miami (OH) at Sartain Hall. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. Check back with TroyTrojans.com for a preview of that match-up. Fans can find the Trojans on Facebook or on Twitter at @TroyAthletics.

TROY 79, ETSU 71

The Trojans shot 26-for-63 (.413) from the floor on the night while ETSU connected on 26-for-54 (.481). The Bucs out rebounded the Trojans, 37-35, but the Trojans picked up 15 offensive boards that led to 15 second chance points.

The Trojans completed a bit of redemption as they fell at ETSU earlier this season by a score of 81-71.

Troy posted 18 assists on the night compared to 11 by ETSU. Weathers, who entered with a 5.6 assists per game average, the best in the league, led the Trojans with seven on the night.

After a back-and-forth contest early, the Trojans used a 9-3 run behind two three-pointers from Weathers and another from Alan Jones. The trio of baskets in less than two minutes forced the Bucs to call a timeout with Troy leading, 21-14.

The Trojans continued their hot shooting for the next few minutes as they were 6-for-10 from behind the arc and 9-for-16 from the floor at the under-eight minute media timeout. The Trojans entered that break with an eight-point advantage at 24-16.

The Trojans maintained the lead as they led by seven at the half, 35-28, despite going cold from three-point land in the remainder of the half. The Trojans didn't hit another basket from deep in the first half as they finished the half 6-for-17 (.353) from deep.

Emil Jones led the Trojans with 12 points in the first half thanks to a 5-for-6 effort from the field. Jones also paced the Trojans with five rebounds in the frame as ETSU outrebounded Troy, 18-15, in the first half.

The Trojans remained cold to open the second half as they went nearly the first three minutes without a bucket before Scott connected on a three. The Trojans stayed tough on defense through the stretch, and held a five-point lead, 40-35, at the first media timeout of the second frame.

The two sides continued to trade baskets with the Trojans holding the same five-point lead, 57-52, with 6:14 to go in the contest, but it was then that the Trojans caught fire from beyond the arc again. Troy would connect on three bombs in the next 2:30 along with a two-point jumper from Emil Jones. The 11-point burst gave the Trojans a 13-point advantage, 68-55, with 3:54 to go in the half.

The Trojans held lead with solid free throw shooting to close out the game. In the final three minutes of the contest, the Trojans went 7-for-10 at the charity stripe as they extended their lead to the final 79-71 score.