Trojans Continue Road Swing in Atlanta

GAME NOTES

Troy men's basketball faces Georgia State on Friday night in Atlanta as the 2010-11 season continues.

Troy (1-1) struggled offensively on Monday night against Alabama, connecting on just 39 percent (23-of-59) of its shot attempts. The Trojans also turned the ball over 17 times as they fell to the Crimson Tide 79-60.

The coaching staff is looking for some marked improvements on Monday night's performance if Troy is going to be able to compete with a physical Georgia State squad.

“They are the typical Georgia State teams that we are used to playing,” head coach Don Maestri said. “They are very hard-nosed and strong defensively.

“We are going to have to be able to handle their pressure defense. They are really good defensively. We also have to be able to make open shots. That is one of the things that I don't think we did a very good job of against Alabama. It's one of the things we really have to do a better job of. I'm not even talking about contested shots. It was the open looks that we couldn't convert. We have to be able to cash those in.”

Georgia State has started the season 0-1 with its lone contest coming on Monday night against McNeese State, a game the Panthers lost 68-62. GSU got an outstanding debut performance from freshman Harold Doby, who scored 19 points off the bench, the most for a Panther freshman in his first game in more than 20 years.

Troy and Georgia State have a long history that dates back to the 1951-52 season with two meetings during that campaign.

The Trojans hold a 17-12 advantage all-time in the series with GSU. Maestri is 9-12 against the Panthers in his 29-year tenure as head coach at Troy. Many of the meetings came while both school's claimed membership in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

The Trojans won the last meeting between the two school's on November 25, 2008 in Troy. Travis Lee scored 12 points off the bench to lead the Trojans to the win.

Vernon Taylor leads the Trojans in scoring through two games with an average of 16.0 ppg. Senior Bernard Toombs provided one of the highlights for Troy on Monday against the Crimson Tide. The Columbus, Ga.-native set a new career high for rebounds while posting his second double-double of his career with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Tip-off for Friday night's contest is set for 6 pm central time at the GSU Sports Arena in downtown Atlanta. Barry McKnight and Jerry Miller will bring you all the action from courtside on the Troy Sports Network presented by IMG College.

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