Troy Falls to Belmont

Saturday, December 18

Troy, Ala.

11:00 a.m.

Troy University

Belmont University

Shawntez Patterson drives against Belmont

Photo by: Edward Fieder

12/18/2010 1:43:27 PM | Basketball (M)

Patterson Scores 24 in Loss

By: Taylor Bryan

BOX SCORE :: PHOTO GALLERY

TROY – Belmont's pressure defense and potent outside shooting was too much for Troy on Saturday morning as the Trojans fell 98-63 in non-conference action in Sartain Hall.

Troy (1-9) turned it over 18 times in the first half – breaking the season high of 17 for a game that Troy surrendered against Alabama.

“We played Mississippi State, Alabama, Arkansas and UAB,” head coach Don Maestri said. “No one guards as well as Belmont. I think they are, defensively, one of the best teams in the country. That showed today.”

The Trojans improved their ball security in the second half and finished with 25 turnovers for the game – committing just seven after halftime.

The Bruins also had a lot of success with the 3-pointer. Belmont knocked down 12 treys, including five by senior Jordan Campbell.

“They really are just an excellent, well-coached basketball team and offensively they are the same way with those good 3-point shooters,” Maestri said. “The fact is, they know how to move the ball around. It's not just like somebody jacking up three's. They know how to play together. They're experienced. A bunch of those kids were on the team last year.

“They know what their system is all about and it stays the same year in and year out. They keep bringing in good players. They're just a good team.”

Belmont (8-2) turned those 18 first half turnovers into 26 points. The Bruins used 12 players in the first half, compared to just nine for Troy.

Troy trailed 12-11 at the first media timeout with 15:22 remaining, but the Bruins used a 26-5 run to take a 22-point lead, 38-16 with a little more than six minutes remaining before halftime, and never looked back.

The Trojans' lone bright spot in the first half was the shooting of Shawntez Patterson, who knocked down 4-of-5 3-pointers before the break.

“[Patterson] shot the ball really well,” Maestri said. “Offensively, he played really well. He did shoot the ball really well. He was feeling it. That is his strength.”

Belmont connected on 54.3 percent (19-of-35) of its field goal attempts to lead 51-25 at the half. The Bruins' 51 first-half points was the most Troy had surrendered in an opening half since Marshall scored 56 on December 12, 2009.

Patterson continued his strong play in the second half. He finished the game with a career-high 24 points and six 3-pointers.

The Trojans also showed an improvement at the foul line for the second straight game. Troy sank 17-of-23 at the charity stripe on Saturday. Over the last two games, the Trojans have been successful on 29-of-38 attempts (76.3 percent).

Vernon Taylor used the foul line to score 13 points. He sank 11-of-12 at the line, a career high.

Troy narrowed the deficit down to 22 points at 84-62 on a Will Weathers trey with 4:41 to go, but the Bruins responded with 14-1 run to close out the game for the final margin.

The Trojans' other double-digit scorer was Weathers who added 11 points with a career-best five steals.

Troy is in action next on Tuesday night against Western Michigan in its first game of the 2010 World Vision Invitational presented by Gossner Foods. The tournament is hosted by Utah State in Logan, Utah. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 pm.