Troy Earns 1st Win over Auburn

Friday, December 4

Auburn, Ala.

7:00 PM

Troy University

Auburn

12/5/2009 4:00:00 AM | Basketball (M)

AUBURN, Ala. – The Troy Trojans withstood a furious second half comeback and earned their first-ever win over Auburn 81-77 on Friday night at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

Troy (5-3) had been 0-10 entering the game against the Tigers (4-4), with the most recent loss coming in 2006.

“I thought it was a great team victory,” head coach Don Maestri said. “We had four guys in double-figures and the guys that play inside, Bernard Toombs and Yamene Coleman, had six and five so together they had double-figures. To be able to come in and get a win like this tonight, it takes contributions from everyone and I'm really happy for those guys that played a part in this thing.”

With 3:34 left and the Trojans on top by four, Tay Waller hit a three from the top of the key. After a couple of misses by both teams, Brendon Knox scored two inside putting Auburn in the lead for the first time since it led 41-40 less than two minutes into the second half.

Michael Vogler answered for Troy with an acrobatic lay-in and after an Auburn miss, Brandon Hazzard got a run-out lay-up for a 77-74 lead with a minute to go. Two free throws by Hazzard and 1-of-2 from the stripe by Vernon Taylor sandwiched an errant Auburn trey.

Hazzard finished the game with 28 points, his highest total against a Division I opponent this season. He also hit a season-best seven 3-pointers.

Frankie Sullivan hit a deep three to cut the Troy lead to three points with four seconds left, but after a foul Trayce Macon split a pair at the line to make it a two-possession game. With just three seconds left Auburn was unable to get off a final attempt.

Hazzard connected on his first two 3-point attempts of the game to give Troy an early 11-5 lead. Auburn took back the lead with a 7-0 run that was finally halted by another Hazzard trey at the 13:40 mark of the first half.

The Trojans struggled with turnovers throughout the first half. As a group, the squad committed 15 turnovers in the first half and a season-high 23 for the game. Richard Delk personally committed five before the intermission.

Delk redeemed himself scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for his second double-double as a Trojan. Vogler added 14 points and tied a season-high with nine assists. Antywan Jones chipped in with 11 points on three treys.

Both squads traded baskets to close out the opening period and a trey by Vogler with four seconds left before the half gave the Trojans a 40-38. Troy led both of its SEC opponents this season by two points at halftime.

Auburn tied the game at 43-43 with 17:33 left, but Vogler nailed his second trey to put the Trojans back on top. Lucas Hargrove hit back-to-back treys for the Tigers, but the Trojans bounced right back with a 10-0 run capped by another Hazzard triple to take a 53-46 lead with 15:43 remaining.

Troy shot a blistering 53.7 percent (29-for-54) from the field and 52 percent (13-for-25) from beyond the arc, both season highs. The Tigers' shooting from deep heated up in the second after connecting on just 3-of-16 attempts in the first half. Auburn hit 5-of-15 after the break.

Auburn went on a 6-0 run to draw within two points, but Hazzard got three the hard way to push the lead back out to five points, 66-61. An 8-3 run by the Tigers cut Troy's lead down to 71-69 with less than five minutes to go.

Troy out-rebounded Auburn 39-36, improving to 5-1 this year when it wins the battle on the glass.

The victory is just Troy's third-ever over an SEC program and the second for Maestri. Troy last earned a win over an SEC team in 2002 defeating Arkansas 74-66 in Fayetteville.

“Obviously, it's a big win for Troy basketball because we've never beaten Auburn before,” Maestri said. “I don't look at a win over a certain team that we're playing or a certain game. It was good for our guys to come in and get a win on the road.

There's no doubt that it helps the team's confidence. It's not a crazy philosophy what they say about winning and confidence. To get a win versus a basketball team on the road definitely helps you in the confidence department. … I think we will go into the next game a little more confident after tonight though.”

The Trojans are in action next on December 12 at Marshall in the seventh of eight-straight on the road. Troy concludes that road swing on December 14 at Houston.