Troy University Athletics
Friday, November 13
Tampa, Fla.
7:30 p.m.
Troy University
1-0
82
at
77
South Florida
0-1
1
2
F
TROY
44
38
82
USF
49
28
77
Team Stats
TROY
USF
FG%
.410
.366
3FG%
.200
.323
FT%
.519
.882
RB
50
49
TO
9
17
STL
13
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
21
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Basketball (M)G
/ Basketball (M)F
/ Basketball (M)F
/ Basketball (M)
Varnado, Hollimon Shine as Troy Wins at USF in Season Opener
11/13/2015 10:56:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TAMPA, Florida – The Troy men's basketball team erased a 14-point deficit to claim an 82-77 win on the road at USF in the Sun Dome. In their debuts, Jordon Varnado and Jeremy Hollimon scored a game-high 21 points apiece, while Varnado earned his first career double-double, reeling in 11 boards. John Walton III added 11 points for the Trojans, while racking up eight rebounds.
The Trojans chipped away at a 14-point deficit with a 9-0 run to close out the first half. After trading buckets, Troy went on a 10-0 run in the second half, claiming its first lead of the game at 56-53, with 13:43 remaining.
USF clawed back as it regained a 72-71 lead with just under four minutes to go, but Troy was relentless in its effort. Wesley Person made a layup to give Troy the lead back, then Hollimon scored a bucket and Varnado followed with five straight points to give Troy an 80-74 lead with under a minute to play.
In the first half, the long ball plagued Troy as it shot just 1-of-11 from deep, while USF shot 7-of-17 from downtown. Despite early foul trouble, the Bulls built their lead to as many as 14 points in the first half, including as late as 2:09 to go when they led 49-35.
That is when Troy used its 9-0 run to build momentum. Hollimon scored six of the nine points, including both free throws when he drew an intentional foul that sparked the run.
Jahmal McMurray led USF with 21 points while Chris Perry led all on the boards with 17.
In the game, foul shooting, even down the stretch, hampers Troy. The Trojans shot 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) from the charity stripe, including 3-of-11 in the second half. Troy shot 41 percent (32-of-78) from the floor and just 4-of-20 from long range.
Varnado finished his debut shooting 9-of-17 from the floor, good for 21 points, and 11 rebounds while tallying two blocks. Hollimon shot 8-of-18 on the game, but struggled from 3-point range, going 0-of-5.
The win was Troy's first win in a road season-opener in its Division I history, and the first since 1992.
Next up, Troy returns to the friendly confines of Trojan Arena as it plays host to Reinhardt on Sunday, at 2 p.m. for its home opener.
The Trojans chipped away at a 14-point deficit with a 9-0 run to close out the first half. After trading buckets, Troy went on a 10-0 run in the second half, claiming its first lead of the game at 56-53, with 13:43 remaining.
USF clawed back as it regained a 72-71 lead with just under four minutes to go, but Troy was relentless in its effort. Wesley Person made a layup to give Troy the lead back, then Hollimon scored a bucket and Varnado followed with five straight points to give Troy an 80-74 lead with under a minute to play.
In the first half, the long ball plagued Troy as it shot just 1-of-11 from deep, while USF shot 7-of-17 from downtown. Despite early foul trouble, the Bulls built their lead to as many as 14 points in the first half, including as late as 2:09 to go when they led 49-35.
That is when Troy used its 9-0 run to build momentum. Hollimon scored six of the nine points, including both free throws when he drew an intentional foul that sparked the run.
Jahmal McMurray led USF with 21 points while Chris Perry led all on the boards with 17.
In the game, foul shooting, even down the stretch, hampers Troy. The Trojans shot 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) from the charity stripe, including 3-of-11 in the second half. Troy shot 41 percent (32-of-78) from the floor and just 4-of-20 from long range.
Varnado finished his debut shooting 9-of-17 from the floor, good for 21 points, and 11 rebounds while tallying two blocks. Hollimon shot 8-of-18 on the game, but struggled from 3-point range, going 0-of-5.
The win was Troy's first win in a road season-opener in its Division I history, and the first since 1992.
Next up, Troy returns to the friendly confines of Trojan Arena as it plays host to Reinhardt on Sunday, at 2 p.m. for its home opener.
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