Trojans Open Up Trojan Arena With Exhibition Win Over Alaska-Anchorage

Monday, November 5

Troy, Ala.

7:00 p.m.

Troy University

Alaska-Anchorage (Ex.)

Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer

Trojans Open Up Trojan Arena With Exhibition Win Over Alaska-Anchorage

11/5/2012 9:46:00 PM | Basketball (M)

By: Joe St. Pierre

Box Score
Gallery

TROY, Ala. – After trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Troy men's basketball team fought back to take down Alaska-Anchorage, 61-57, in its final preseason exhibition game at the Trojan Arena. Newcomer Hunter Williams paced the Trojans with 19 points, while leading the team with four assists.

“I thought they played like it was a first game,” said head coach Don Maestri. “They were super excited, over excited to start the game.”

“That [Alaska-Anchorage] basketball team is a deceptive looking team,” Maestri said. “They know how to play basketball and they can shoot the lights out. I'm proud of the effort we put in defensively. We've kind of come to expect that with this group. They are going to be out-manned just about every game in terms of size. We played with that type of intensity and I think it showed.”

The Trojans came out firing in the second half, outscoring the Seawolves 32-23 in the frame. Emil Jones caught fire early on, with seven points in the first four minutes to spark a 10-0 run to give the Trojans their first lead since the early moments of the first half. Jones finished with 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting, to go with a team-high 10 rebounds and four steals.

Junior forward Josh Warren was stellar on the glass, tearing down nine offensive boards. Jeff Mullahey was the high-scorer off the bench, connecting on 2-of-4 3-point attempts and finishing with eight points.

Troy was very successful on the break, outscoring Alaska-Anchorage 12-0 in fast break points. The Seawolves had 16 turnovers, leading to 23 Trojan points. Despite being undersized, the Trojans out-rebounded the Seawolves, 38-36, and outscored their opponent in the paint, 26-10.

The Trojans start the regular season on Friday night against Mississippi State, marking the first time a SEC opponent will come to Troy. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in the brand new Trojan Arena.

For more information on Troy Athletics, be sure to check out TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter at @TroyAthletics or on Facebook at Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.