Troy University Athletics
Trojans Bench Explodes in Victory
1/28/2009 6:00:00 AM | Basketball (W)
DENTON, Texas - The Troy Trojans turned to an unlikely source Wednesday night to try and record their first victory in the school's history at The Super Pit.
With the Trojans three top scorers on the bench in the first half, and three post players who fouled out during the game, coach Michael Murphy turned to freshman Tenia Manuel to lead the Trojans to an 80-78 overtime victory Wednesday night.
“I have been doing this a long time,” Murphy said. “ I have been in this game for 22 years, been in the tournament, been in the NIT, been at Madison Square Garden and this is maybe one of the most satisfying wins I have ever been a part of.
“We have struggled over the last four games, we have had a lot of disappointment and heartache. But to come in here and play the way we did, it says something about the girls - the character and their class. I will tell you this, we may not win another game all year long but this is very special and I will remember this for a long time.”
Manuel came off the bench to score eight points, including the biggest basket of the game on a buzzer-beating six-footer as the buzzer sounded ending the first half. She finished with her first career double-double, scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Senior Danielle Realph also came off the bench in the first half to score eight points and help erase a 13-point North Texas (7-13, 3-6 Sun Belt) lead midway through the opening half.
With North Texas leading 25-12 with 7:40 to play in the first half, the Trojans went on a 23-8 run over the next seven minutes to take their first lead of the game at 35-33 with less than a minute to play in the first half. During that run, the Trojans went to their bench to score 13 of the 23 points.
Troy (9-11, 4-6 Sun Belt) closed the first half by scoring four of the next five points for a 39-34 lead, including the Manuel basket at the horn.
The Trojans continued to push the tempo in the second half, running out to an 11-point lead on two different occasions. The first was a 64-53 lead with 5:17 to play in the game when Kylie Morrissy scored on a lay-up over Amber Jackson. They gained the double-digit lead with 3:03 to play in the game when Manuel connected on a lay-up.
Unfortunately for the Trojans, The Super Pit is not an easy place to win and they found that out after the Manuel basket. North Texas went on a 12-1 run over the final three minutes to tie the game on a Jackson turnaround jumper from the free throw line with just 7.6 seconds remaining. The Trojans were unable to get the final shot off as Morrissy passed the ball to Manuel on the right wing as the buzzer sounded.
North Texas kept the momentum in the overtime period as they scored the first point on a free throw by Jo Hall for a 71-70 lead.
The overtime period was back and forth for the entire five-minute period with Troy taking a 77-75 lead with 3:05 to play in the game on a Morrissy lay-up. North Texas had a chance to tie it with 2:13 to play, but Mansa El was only able to hit one free throw to pull UNT within a point at 77-76.
Jackson was able to give North Texas a 78-77 lead with 1:06 to play after connecting on a pair of free throws. After the free throws, freshman Kirsten Smith took a pass on a fastbreak and looked to go up with her left hand, but crossed over to her right. She connected on the lay-up and gave the Trojans the lead 79-78.
After a defensive rebound by Smith, the freshman was able to hit one of two free throws for an 80-78 lead with just 21 seconds remaining.
North Texas had a chance to tie it, but Jackson missed a lay-up and senior Brittnie Davis grabbed the rebound and fed it to Manuel who was fouled. After Manuel missed both free throws, the Mean Green couldn't get the lay-up off before the buzzer sounded. Jo Hall grabbed the missed free throw and threw it quickly up the court, but El couldn't get the shot up on the right side as the buzzer sounded; sending the Trojan bench into a jubilant celebration.
Davis finished the game with a career-high 17 points for Troy, while Morrissy finished with 10 after being held scoreless at halftime.
“How can I forget her,” Murphy said. “She has just been a warrior all year long. Her dad is a Lieutenant Colonel and I bet he has nobody in his platoon as B-Davis. He has no one under his command that will go the extra mile and make the sacrifice for her time like she will. She started as a walk-on, didn't play her freshman year and earned a scholarship in her sophomore year. She came up big for us.”
Troy finished the night shooting 53.2 (33-of-62) percent from the floor and 55.6 (5-of-9) percent from beyond the arc.
Jackson finished the game for North Texas with a game-high 30 points and 10 rebounds. Brittney James finished with 12, Tricia Lee 10 and Hall 11 rebounds.
North Texas finished the night shooting 40.3 (29-of-72) percent from the floor and just 29.4 (5-of-17) percent from beyond the arc.
Troy returns to action Saturday evening, hosting the University of Denver at Trojan Arena at 5:15 pm. The game will be broadcast on WTBF-94.7 FM.
