Abdul-Aleem’s 37 Points Not Enough for Troy in Shootout Loss

Saturday, March 7

Mobile, Ala.

4:05 p.m.

Troy University

10-19 (5-15SBC)

South Alabama

11-20 (9-11SBC)

Troy

South Alabama

Photo by: Chris Davis

Abdul-Aleem’s 37 Points Not Enough for Troy in Shootout Loss

3/7/2015 7:11:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score

By: Matt Mays

MOBILE, Alabama – The Troy men's basketball team got 37 points from senior Musa Abdul-Aleem in his final collegiate game, but it wasn't enough as Troy fell, 96-93, to South Alabama in the Mitchell Center in Saturday's season finale.

Troy (10-19, 5-15) hit 10 3-pointers in a game full of long balls, with eight of them coming from Abdul-Aleem who hit 8-of-10 from deep and 13-of-20 overall. His 37 points tied the most scored in the Sun Belt this season and were the second most ever scored in the Mitchell Center.

The Trojans took their biggest lead of the game with 11:27 to go, pulling ahead 71-64. However, South Alabama (11-20, 9-11) then went on a 19-3 run to pull ahead 83-74 with 6:47 to go.

That was South Alabama's biggest lead of the game, but Troy started to chip away. The Trojans were never able to pull even, but stayed within one possession down much of the stretch. The Jaguars hit two free throws to go up by three with 4.7 seconds to go and Kelton Ford's 3-pointer at the buzzer didn't go.

Wesley Person scored 25 points, extending his Troy freshman scoring record. He was 2-of-8 from long range and finishes his rookie season with a 3-pointer in every game of the year. John Walton III scored a career-high 21 for Troy on 9-of-15 shooting.

South Alabama outrebounded the Trojans, 41-26, as Troy played without its second senior and leading rebounder, Kevin Thomas, who was out with illness.

Ford and Chris Bilbo combined for all 11 of Troy's assists, with six coming from Ford. Abdul-Aleem and Walton III each finished with a team-high six rebounds.

The Jaguars were led by 28 points from Ken Williams who went 8-of-19 overall and 3-of-10 from long range. He hit a big trey with 24 seconds to go as Troy trailed by just one. Abdul-Aleem answered with his eighth 3-pointer to set up the final sequence.

Both sides shot lights out from long range as Troy hit 10-of-23 and South Alabama hit 12-of-31. Overall, Troy shot 52 percent (35-of-67) and South Alabama hit 48 percent (31-of-65).

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