Troy University Athletics
Tuesday, November 25
Hattiesburg, Miss.
7 p.m.
Troy University
1-3
70
at
72
Southern Mississippi
3-1
1
2
F
Troy
42
28
70
Southern Miss
35
37
72
Team Stats
TROY
USM
FG%
.490
.455
3FG%
.400
.391
FT%
.737
.765
RB
36
23
TO
19
8
STL
3
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
26
FGM
8
3FGM
6
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Basketball (M)G
/ Basketball (M)G
/ Basketball (M)
G
/ Basketball (M)
F
/ Basketball (M)F
/ Basketball (M)
Golden Eagles Hold Off Trojans, 72-70
11/25/2014 10:27:00 PM | Basketball (M)
HATTIESBURG, Mississippi – The Troy men's basketball team dropped a hard fought 72-70 loss at Southern Miss on Tuesday night. The Trojans fell to the Eagles on a layup with a mere six seconds remaining. Seniors Musa Abdul-Aleem and Kevin Thomas both tallied game-high numbers with 26 points and eight rebounds, respectively.
Troy (1-3) started off the game rusty, as it tallied three turnovers in the first four minutes. Southern Miss made Troy pay for its mistakes as it jumped out to a 10-4 lead to start the contest.
Aggressive play on the boards by Thomas and Wesley Person helped the Trojans regain their momentum, as they chipped away at the Golden Eagles' lead. Oskar Reinfelds saw the first action in his career at Troy, as he entered the game with 12:14 remaining in the first half. Reinfelds was able to find Thomas in stride and they connected for a dunk that gave the Trojans a burst of energy as they trailed by three at 17-14 with 10:34 left in the first.
Troy took a 20-19 lead at the 8:46 mark. Southern Miss (3-1) fought back to reclaim the lead shortly thereafter with a three of its own. Abdul-Aleem had an answer as he contributed with three straight 3-pointers of his own in less than a minute. Troy held onto that lead, despite not scoring from the field until 4:51 left in the first half.
Closing out the half, the Golden Eagles had a 6-2 run of their own, but FTs by Thomas and a trey on the last play of the half by Abdul-Aleem thwarted the effort. Rounding out the first, the Trojans shot 52 percent from the field, including 55.6 percent from beyond the arc, in large part to Abdul-Aleem, who was 4-of-6 from downtown.
Coming out of the break, Southern Miss opened with a 9-3 run of its own, trailing by just one point at 45-44, with just under 18 minutes to play. The Trojans held off the Golden Eagles until the 5:36 mark, when the Trojans trailed for the second time at 62-61. Both teams traded baskets in an electrifying atmosphere.
Chris Bilbo, who ended the contest with double figures, fought tooth and nail to tie the game in the final three minutes. He was able to give the Trojans a 67-66 lead with 2:35 left. Southern Miss had an answer, but so did Bilbo as he kept pace with the Golden Eagles as he tied it at 68 and 70.
In the final nine seconds, Troy turned the ball over at the top of the key, and Carey Norville put the game away with a dunk. The Trojans gave it a last try as they raced down the court, but they ran out of time as Thomas was going up for a shot.
Southern Miss was led by Matt Bingaya, who scored 25 points as he shot 50 percent from the 3-point range. Norville led the Golden Eagles with five rebounds.
On the game. Troy shot 40 percent from the 3-point range and 49 percent overall. Abdul-Aleem accounted for six of the Trojans' eight three-pointers and was perfect from the charity stripe. Four of Troy's five starters tallied double figures in the loss. Abdul-Aleem led with 26, and John Walton III, Bilbo and Person all chipped in 12, 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Next up, Troy heads back to Trojan Arena as it hosts Alcorn State on December 2. Tip off between the Braves and Trojans is set for 7 p.m.
For more information on Troy, visit TroyTrojans.com. As always, fans can also find the Trojans on Twitter at @TroyMensHoops, Facebook, Instagram at @TroyHoops and on YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.
Troy (1-3) started off the game rusty, as it tallied three turnovers in the first four minutes. Southern Miss made Troy pay for its mistakes as it jumped out to a 10-4 lead to start the contest.
Aggressive play on the boards by Thomas and Wesley Person helped the Trojans regain their momentum, as they chipped away at the Golden Eagles' lead. Oskar Reinfelds saw the first action in his career at Troy, as he entered the game with 12:14 remaining in the first half. Reinfelds was able to find Thomas in stride and they connected for a dunk that gave the Trojans a burst of energy as they trailed by three at 17-14 with 10:34 left in the first.
Troy took a 20-19 lead at the 8:46 mark. Southern Miss (3-1) fought back to reclaim the lead shortly thereafter with a three of its own. Abdul-Aleem had an answer as he contributed with three straight 3-pointers of his own in less than a minute. Troy held onto that lead, despite not scoring from the field until 4:51 left in the first half.
Closing out the half, the Golden Eagles had a 6-2 run of their own, but FTs by Thomas and a trey on the last play of the half by Abdul-Aleem thwarted the effort. Rounding out the first, the Trojans shot 52 percent from the field, including 55.6 percent from beyond the arc, in large part to Abdul-Aleem, who was 4-of-6 from downtown.
Coming out of the break, Southern Miss opened with a 9-3 run of its own, trailing by just one point at 45-44, with just under 18 minutes to play. The Trojans held off the Golden Eagles until the 5:36 mark, when the Trojans trailed for the second time at 62-61. Both teams traded baskets in an electrifying atmosphere.
Chris Bilbo, who ended the contest with double figures, fought tooth and nail to tie the game in the final three minutes. He was able to give the Trojans a 67-66 lead with 2:35 left. Southern Miss had an answer, but so did Bilbo as he kept pace with the Golden Eagles as he tied it at 68 and 70.
In the final nine seconds, Troy turned the ball over at the top of the key, and Carey Norville put the game away with a dunk. The Trojans gave it a last try as they raced down the court, but they ran out of time as Thomas was going up for a shot.
Southern Miss was led by Matt Bingaya, who scored 25 points as he shot 50 percent from the 3-point range. Norville led the Golden Eagles with five rebounds.
On the game. Troy shot 40 percent from the 3-point range and 49 percent overall. Abdul-Aleem accounted for six of the Trojans' eight three-pointers and was perfect from the charity stripe. Four of Troy's five starters tallied double figures in the loss. Abdul-Aleem led with 26, and John Walton III, Bilbo and Person all chipped in 12, 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Next up, Troy heads back to Trojan Arena as it hosts Alcorn State on December 2. Tip off between the Braves and Trojans is set for 7 p.m.
For more information on Troy, visit TroyTrojans.com. As always, fans can also find the Trojans on Twitter at @TroyMensHoops, Facebook, Instagram at @TroyHoops and on YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.
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