Lee Career Night Keys Trojans

Thursday, February 10

Mobile, AL

7:05 p.m.

Troy University

University of South Alabama

Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer

2/10/2011 8:53:55 PM | Basketball (M)

Tallahassee-native scores 28 to key victory.

By: Taylor Bryan

BOX SCORE

MOBILE – Making just his fourth start of the season, Travis Lee scored a career-high 28 points to lead Troy to a 72-59 victory over South Alabama on Thursday night in Sun Belt action.

Lee also connected on a career-best six 3-pointers as he helped the Trojans (6-17, 4-7) to their second road win of the season.

The Trojans had their best 3-point shooting night in conference play, hitting 10-of-20 from outside (50 percent).

Bernard Toombs recorded his fourth-straight double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Bernard Toombs picked off a pass and took it coast-to-coast for the lay-up plus the foul. He made the free throw to close Troy to within 13-10 with 15:32 left in the first half.

Troy took its first lead at 14-13 on a put-back jam by Steven Cunningham. A 3-pointer by Vernon Taylor made it 22-16, but South Alabama countered with five-straight points.

Taylor halted the Jags' run with another triple, and then the senior found Toombs for a dunk on the next possession to put Troy up 27-21 with nine minutes left in the opening half.

Taylor finished with 13 points and hit a pair of free throws to extend his consecutive free throws made streak to 24 – the third longest in the nation. Taylor left the game mid-way through the second half with an apparent ankle injury and did not return.

15 first half points by Lee gave the Trojans a 38-31 advantage at the break.

After Troy had stretched its lead to 11, USA engineered an 8-0 run to make it 45-42 with a little more than four minutes gone in the second half.

Lee halted the run with his fifth 3-pointer of the night, then Troy added a pair of lay-ups to run its lead back to 10, 52-42. A dunk by Toombs gave the Trojans a nine-point lead with 12 minutes remaining.

Another five-point burst by Lee followed by an alley-oop feed to Toombs upped the Troy advantage to 61-49.

Levan Patsatsia ended a streak of six consecutive missed treys with a 3-pointer with 7:43 left. The basket gave the Trojans a 16-point lead. Patsatsia hit a turn-around jumper for a 70-52 lead with 6:50 remaining.

Troy withstood a couple of baskets by USA late, but the Jags never threatened from eight minutes in.

The Trojans are in action next on Saturday at home against Denver. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm in Sartain Hall.