Trojans Look to Rebound at UALR

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – The Troy men's hoops squad is traveling to Little Rock to face UALR at Jack Stephens Arena on Thursday night. Tip off between the Trojans is slated for 7:30 p.m., following the conclusion of the women's game, which is set to tip at 5:30 p.m.

Live, free audio for the game will all be available through TroyTrojans.com. Live stats and video will be available through UALRTrojans.com. For live, in-game updates, you can follow along on Twitter, @TroyMensHoops.

Troy (7-9, 2-5) is coming off a tough 69-64 loss at home to Sun Belt newcomer, App State. The Trojans were able to out-shoot the Mountaineers, 40.3 percent to 38.3 percent from the floor, but App State's 11-of-26 showing from 3-point range proved to be too much for Troy to overcome.

Three Trojans tallied double figures as Wesley Person led Troy with 15 points while Aaron Ariri reeled in a game and career-high 11 boards. Kevin Thomas added 13 points, and Musa Abdul-Aleem chipped in 11.

In the game, Troy shot 25-of-62 from the floor, but couldn't find its way from 3-point range as it shot 6-of-24. The Trojans outscored App in the paint, 26-22, but tallied only eight points from close range in the second half.

Person currently ranks second amongst freshmen in the nation, averaging 2.8 3- pointers per game. In Sun Belt play, the Trojans tally a conference-high 7.9 treys per contest.

In conference play, Abdul-Aleem and Person rank sixth and ninth, respectively, in points per game. Abdul-Aleem is averaging 16.0 while Person is currently averaging 15.1. Person also ranks first in 3-pointers per game (3.0) and is ranked third from long range, as he is shooting 44 percent (21-of-48). Abdul-Aleem tallies a conference high in free throw percentage, as he is 24-of-25 from the charity stripe throughout conference play.

Thomas' 6-of-8 showing from the floor against App State allowed him the chance to take back the number one spot in the Sun Belt, as he is shooting 68 percent from the floor this season.

UALR (6-11, 1-6 SBC) returns home after it fought back from a 14-point second-half deficit to tie the game with 15 seconds to play, but failed to outlast South Alabama, 66-64, in Mobile. Josh Hagins finished the night with a game-high 23 points to go along with seven rebounds. Roger Woods finished with 15 points on a 6-of-7 effort from the floor. The 6-5 junior added a team-high nine boards.

UALR owns a 8-6 advantage over Troy. Last year, both the Trojans' split a pair of games, as Troy won at UALR, but late in the season, UALR defeated Troy at Trojan Arena.

For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. As always, fans can also find the Troy men's basketball team on Twitter at @TroyMensHoops, Instagram at @TroyHoops Facebook, and YouTube by searching Troy Athletics.

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Players Mentioned

Musa Abdul-Aleem

Aaron Ariri

Wesley Person

Kevin Thomas

Troy University Athletics