Troy University Athletics
Ramsey Keys Trojans to Third Straight Win, 70-57, over Middle Tennessee
1/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Basketball (M)
Official Game Statistics
Troy vs. Middle Tennessee Game Notes
TROY, Ala. - Boo Ramsey made three straight three-pointers to start a 14-0 second-half run and finished the game with 17 points to lead Troy to a 70-57 Sun Belt Conference victory Saturday night at Trojan Arena. Bobby Dixon added 15 points and eight assists as the Trojans matched their longest winning streak of the season, three games.
Troy converted 14 Middle Tennessee turnovers into 25 points to improve to 10-7 on the season and 3-2 in league play while the Blue Raiders fell to 8-9 and 1-4 in the Sun Belt.
Also scoring in double figures for the Trojans were Cedric Jackson with 14 points and Jacob Hazouri with 12. Adam Vogelsburg lead all the Blue Raiders with 17 points, while Tim Blue chipped in 10 points and six rebounds.
"Its early in the season," Head Coach Don Maestri said in relation to the three straight wins. "We aren't thinking that we are a good team yet, but rather a solid one. It is more important right now that we set the tone that we will be tough to beat at home."
After falling behind 4-0, Troy ran off a 14-2 spurt that included three Hazouri three-pointers. But Middle reallied to even the score at 14 with eight straight points. Troy trailed 23-21 when the Trojans made a run. Cedric Jackson converted a three-point play at 7:01 mark to put the Trojans ahead 24-23, but neither team could add any points in over four minutes, when Dixon hit a jumper for a three-point advantage with 2:08 left in the stanza.
Dixon broke a 28-28 tie with a three-pointer in the final minute, helping the Trojans to their sixth straight halftime lead, 31-30.
Middle Tennessee scored the first six points of the second half to open a five-point advantage, 36-31, with 17:28 left, but Troy immediately responded with six in a row of its own. Cedric Jackson hit a jumper and Daryl Davis made one of two free throws before Bobby Dixon made a steal, got a layup and a free throw to put the Trojans back up by one, 37-36.
After Vogelsburg three gave the Blue Raiders their final lead, 39-37, the Trojans ran off 11 straight points. Sharp was the difference during the 3:24 stretch, getting a dunk and immediately making a steal. After a Jackson jumper, Sharp got another dunk off an offensive rebound. Ramsey stretched the lead to nine with a three-pointer with 10:26 remaining.
Troy later led by six after three Vogelsburg free throws when they put the game out of reach. A 14-0 run moved the lead to its biggest point, 68-48, with 3:12 to play.
"I was proud of the team tonight because at halftime we said to forget 'showtime' -- dunks, three-pointers and so forth," said Maestri. "I told them we had to go to work in the second half and fight for everything we could get."
The Trojans hit the road for three straight games beginning Thursday night at North Texas. The stretch of six-of-eight on the road to start the conference season continues at Denver and Arkansas State before the next home appearance, Feb. 4 against Arkansas-Little Rock.
