Troy Falls in OT to Mississippi State

Friday, November 26

Starkville, MS

6:00 p.m.

Troy University

Mississippi State University

Photo by: Edward Fieder

11/26/2010 8:35:42 PM | Basketball (M)

Taylor Buzzer-Beater Forces OT

By: Taylor Bryan

BOX SCORE

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Troy led for most of Friday night's game, but it took a desperation trey to force overtime where the Trojans ultimately fell 92-83.

With 2.5 seconds left, Troy (1-4) had to in-bound from under the MSU basket. Vernon Taylor grabbed an in-bounds pass from Levan Patsatsia and banked in a desperation 3-pointer with 0.8 on the clock to force the game into overtime tied at 74.

In overtime, Kodi Augustus put MSU (4-0) up 82-78 on a pair at the charity stripe and never looked back. MSU closed the game out with a 18-9 run to end overtime and hand Troy a loss.

“We played hard and played very well,” head coach Don Maestri said. “Offensively, we did a very good job. We made some key shots that gave us an 11-point lead in the second half. We also did a good job defensively.

“There were some things that happened when they switched to a zone defense. We felt like if we had been patient the open shots that Lee and Huddleston got could have won the game for us. Overall, we had a legitimate chance to win this game.”

Both teams started the second half cold and with 15:31 left the Trojans held a two-point lead. Taylor found Bernard Toombs on a pick-and-roll for two points and a 59-52 lead with 10:26 left.

Toombs recorded his second double-double of the season with career highs in both points (19) and rebounds (19). Taylor led the Trojans offensively with 24 points – his 3rd 20-plus point game of the season and second in a row.

Patsatsia (15) and Shawntez Patterson (11) also scored in double-figures. Patsatsia posted the first double-double of his career by adding 10 boards. Patterson grabbed nine boards and added five assists.

Mississippi State made a switch to a zone defense with less than 10 minutes left in the second half. The new defense stymied the Trojans the Bulldogs were able to put together a 12-2 run and trailed by just a point with 6:43 left.

Troy turned it over and MSU took its first lead since early in the first half on a Riley Benock 3-pointer, but a Taylor three knotted the game at 69 with 3:43 left.

Jalen Steele put the Bulldogs up with 2:54 left on a pair of free throws. MSU held a 74-71 lead with 20 seconds left, but Regis Huddleston's 3-pointer missed with the Bulldogs gathering the rebound.

Brian Bryant went to the line for a bonus opportunity with 11.5 left, but missed the first foul shot. The Trojans subsequently turned the ball over, but the Bulldogs couldn't hold on either. The back-to-back turnovers set up Taylor's desperation try in regulation.

Troy held an 11-8 lead at the 15:06 mark, but consecutive treys by Ravern Johnson put MSU on top by three. Johnson, the SEC's leading scorer, finished the game with 33 points.

Taylor sank two at the line to give Troy a lead and the Trojans used two first half 3-pointers by Travis Lee to build a 25-22 lead with 7:42 left in the opening half.

Lee played his first game of the season after missing the first four while recovering from a knee injury. He finished with 12 points on the evening.

Troy held a 10 point lead with three minutes left in the opening half, but the Bulldogs closed the gap with an 8-2 run. Troy missed a shot on the final possession and took a 38-34 lead into the break.

The Trojans are in action next on Monday when they return home to host UAB. Tip-off is set for 7 pm in Sartain Hall.