Troy University Athletics
Trojans Suffer Another Hard-luck Loss, 91-78 in Overtime
1/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Basketball (M)
MONROE, La. - Louisiana-Monroe scored the first 14 points of overtime after overcoming a 10-point second half deficit to send Troy to another hard-luck Sun Belt Conference loss, 91-78, Saturday night at Ewing Coliseum. O'Darien Bassett scored 23 points for the Trojans, who suffered their sixth single-digit or overtime loss in league play this year.
Boo Ramsey added 16 points, while Sammy Sharp had 14 points on a perfect shooting night, making all six field goals and two free throws. Jordan Payne led the Warhawks, who improved to 10-0 at home this year, with 27 points, including 23 in the second half and two in overtime. Tony Hooper had 26 points, as well.
Troy (9-13, 4-7) held a 60-50 lead with 10:55 to play after Ramsey hit back-to-back threes. But the WarHawks (13-9, 7-3) climbed back into the game with a 9-0 run that cut the lead to a single point.
The teams were tied at 67 with 3:40 left before the Trojans seemed poised to win. Bassett hit a jumper and Sharp made a layup to make the score 71-67 with 2:40 left. Troy led 73-70 with 39.1 seconds left after a pair of free throws by Bassett, but a crucial play evened the game at 73. Sharp fouled out on a Payne layup attempt with 26 seconds and goaltending was called to set up the three-point play.
Bassett missed a jumper at the free throw line with two seconds left that would have won the game.
Our kids are playing better basketball right now, but we are not getting the results,” Head Coach Don Maestri said. I thought we did a great job defensively. This is a hard pill to swallow.”
Troy fell behind 8-0 in the first two-plus minutes and 17-7 by the 13:59 mark, but later used a 12-3 run to even the game at 22 with 9:18 to play. Bassett had three baskets during the surge, while Sammy Sharp added four points.
The Trojans took their first lead, 28-26, when Jonus hit the third of his three first-half three pointers. After Hooper evened the game on a pair of free throws, Boo Ramsey made a layup and three as part of a 7-2 run that gave Troy a 35-30 advantage.
ULM scored nine straight to lead by four, 39-35, with 2:35 to play, but the Trojans responded outscoring the WarHawks 9-0 over the remaining time to hold a 43-39 edge at the break. Ramsey's layup at 1:01 gave Troy the lead, then his three-pointer just before the buzzer provided the cushion.
Troy converted 58.6 percent of its field goals in the period, its second-best shooting half of the season. The effort helped the Trojans overcome seven first half turnovers, including three that led to fastbreak points.
Troy continues its road swing Thursday night when it travels to North Texas. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
