Troy University Athletics
UALR Pulls Away From Troy Late, 79-71
2/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Basketball (M)
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - UALR scored 11 straight points around halftime to erase an 11-point deficit, then used a 12-2 run later in the period to pull away from Troy and post a 79-71 victory Saturday night at the Jack Stephens Center. Boo Ramsey led Troy (11-15, 6-9) with 24 points, all of them coming on eight three-pointers, just one shy of the school record.
The hosts (12-14, 7-8) trailed by 11 in the final seconds of the first half, but were able to draw a foul on a rebound and hit the two resulting free throws with 1.2 seconds left to close to within nine, 33-24, at the break. Troy's lead was quickly erased when UALR hit three three-pointers in the first 1:36 of the second period to knot the score at 33.
UALR took its first lead since the early going at 37-36 with 16:29 remaining and later led just 53-50 after Troy's O'Darien Bassett hit a three with 7:09 to play. But UALR scored seven straight points and held Troy to just one field goal over nearly six minutes to pull away. Troy tried to rally by hitting four three-pointers in the final 1:18, but UALR made 10 of 12 free throws in the final 49 seconds to preserve the win.
Bassett, Troy's leading scorer despite being held scoreless over the last five halves entering the contest, finished with 19 points, while Richard Chaney added 11 points. Lekheythan Malone led the home Trojans with 23 points, while three of his teammates also topped double figures.
Troy's early defensive efforts made for a comfortable lead throughout most of the first half. After falling behind 6-3, Troy rattled off a 12-2 run that put the visitors up 15-8 with 13:18 left in the period. UALR scored five of the next seven points to cut the lead to 17-13 by the 10:24 mark, but again the defensive effort created some separation. UALR went over six minutes without a field goal while the Trojans built a 13-point advantage, 30-17 with 4:06 left.
The hosts scored the next five points to climb back to within eight, 30-22, but Ramsey's fourth three-pointer of the period on the next possession helped Troy turn back the momentum..
The run at the start of the half was important because it got them back,? Head Coach Don Maestri said. We couldn't get to the free throw line tonight, being outshot 31-3 there. We needed to get it inside more because that can change momentum. We had some positives in that Boo shot the ball well and (O'Darian) started scoring again. We didn't do a good job rebounding, but other than that, we played pretty well.?
Troy forced nine turnovers and held UALR to just 30.8 percent shooting from the field before intermission. The teams also grabbed 19 rebounds each, significant because UALR entered the game second in the Sun Belt Conference in rebound margin while Troy was 12th, second from the bottom.
In the second half, the statistics turned around as UALR connected on 59.3 percent during the period. The rebounding also turned in its favor as it finished the contest with a 39-31 advantage on the boards and it forced one more turnover out of Troy, 14-13.
Troy opens its final homestead of the regular season next Saturday when it hosts Western Kentucky. Tip-off for the second game of the doubleheader is set for 7:30 p.m.
