Troy Men’s Hoops and Georgia Southern Face Off Thursday

TROY, Alabama – The Troy men's basketball team hits the road Thursday looking to snap a three-game losing streak as it heads to second-place Georgia Southern. The Trojans and Eagles will tip off at 6:30 p.m. CT at Hanner Fieldhouse.

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

Troy (9-15, 4-11) is coming off a hard-fought, 84-80, loss to UL Lafayette on Saturday. The Trojans erased a 14-point deficit, shooting a season-best 62 percent from the floor on the night, but were unable to complete the comeback as they fell to UL Lafayette in overtime.

Chris Bilbo poured in a career and game-high 21 points, and sunk seven straight points to cut the lead to one at 73-72 with 11 seconds remaining. After a free throw by the Cajuns' Brian Williams made it a 74-72 lead with eight seconds to play, Kevin Thomas drove to the basket and was fouled. With 0.8 seconds to play, Thomas sunk both to send the game into overtime.

Troy couldn't close the deal in overtime as UL Lafayette scored seven straight points in the final 2:30 of play, to earn the win.

Four Trojans scored in double figures, including Bilbo who shot 9-of-10 on the night. Thomas earned his 14^th career double-double, his 10^th of the season, with 14 points, shooting 4-of-5 from the floor, and a game-high 11 rebounds. Musa Abdul-Aleem scored 17 points, while Wesley Person pitched in 16 points, the freshman's 21^st game in double figures.

In the nation, Person ranks third in 3-pointers per game among freshmen, as he is averaging 2.7 this year. In long-range percentage he ranks fifth, shooting 37.6 percent.

Thomas ranks 17^th in the nation, reeling in 3.6 offensive boards per game, which leads the conference. He has also earned 10 double-doubles this year, the 31^st most in the NCAA.

Georgia Southern's (18-5, 11-3) previous game also went into overtime, as it defeated UALR, 72-70, on the road. Jelani Hewitt, who ranks third in the Sun Belt, averaging 18.9 points per game, leads the Eagles.

Earlier this season, Troy handed Georgia Southern its fourth loss of the season. The Trojans sunk 10-of-11 free throws in the final two minutes of play to hold off Georgia Southern, 75-71, at Trojan Arena on January 17. Ford ended the night shooting 6-of-9 from downtown, while also shooting 6-of-7 from the charity stripe, including 3-of-4 in the final two minutes of play. Abdul-Aleem sparked the Trojans with 23 points off the bench, as he shot 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Thomas earned his eighth career double-double as he reeled in a game-high 12 boards and tallied 10 points, shooting 4-of-7 from the floor. Person chipped seven for the Trojans, while grabbing a then-career-high six rebounds.

Troy returns homes for a Saturday matchup against UALR. The Trojans are slated to tip off at 4:30, following the conclusion of the women's game.

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

Chris Bilbo

Wesley Person

Kevin Thomas