Troy Falls 74-51 On The Road At UAB

Thursday, November 17

Birmingham, Ala.

7 p.m.

Troy University

2-1

UAB

2-1

Troy

UAB

11/17/2016 10:25:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score

By: Russ Schaffer

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – In the first road game of the season, Troy (2-1) came up short in a tough-shooting night amid a 74-51 loss to UAB (2-1) on Thursday night at Bartow Arena.

The Trojans went on runs throughout different periods of the game but were unable to keep up after shooting just 26.8 percent from the floor on 19-of-71 shooting.

Troy came out of the gate hot after a layup by DeVon Walker and a 3-pointer by Kevin Baker--who was Troy's leading scorer with 12 points on four 3-pointers--put the Trojans up 5-3 just over a minute into the game, but the shots wouldn't fall afterwards.

The Trojans had open looks throughout the game, but only shot 3-of-19 (15.8 percent) in the first 10 minutes of the game and 6-of-34 (17.6 percent) in the first half even with trying out 11 different players in the opening frame.

Despite the shooting issues, Troy kept it close with swarming defense. Even though the Blazers shot 54.5 percent (12-of-22) in the first half, UAB also had 12 turnovers and six personal fouls. The Blazers finished with 18 turnovers and 13 personal fouls.

UAB was buoyed through the turnovers by forward Chris Cokley, who had 10 in the first half and finished with 18 for the game on 8-of-13 shooting.

At the start of the second half, the shooting woes began to dissipate. Troy almost doubled the first half output by 13:38 of the second half as the Trojans got it to within seven at 38-31 thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers by Juan Davis, Jr. and Baker.

UAB, however, also found a scoring touch in the second half as each attempt for Troy to get back into the game was thwarted by a strong inside game by the Blazers coupled with timely 3-pointers.

The behind-the-arc shots simultaneously gave Troy life and kept the Trojans from putting the heat on the Blazers. Baker knocked down three of his four 3-pointers in the second half, but Troy as a team was 7-of-33 from long range while UAB was 8-of-16.

Jordon Varnado hit the game winning shot against Eastern Illinois on Monday, but it took until the second half for the forward to get on the score sheet. He finished with nine points on 4-of-17 shooting, nine rebounds and three blocks.

DeVon Walker provided athletic defense that allowed the senior to pull down 11 rebounds on the night.

Quotable
"We were really nervous in the first half," head coach Phil Cunningham said. "Even though we have a bunch of guys back, we've also got some new guys. I thought Kevin, Alex and DeVon showed some nerves playing in this type of atmosphere. In the first half we really struggled offensively. We've been playing fast in the preseason and the first two games, but when you run into a team like this that's fast and talented, there's a fine line between playing fast and forcing shots."

Stat of the Game
The first road test of the year brought about the first time the Trojans have been outrebounded on the season. UAB grabbed 47 rebounds to Troy's 35. The rebounding of Walker was instrumental in giving the Trojans opportunities for second-chance points. The senior had five offensive rebounds--a season-high for any player--that translated into 13 second-chance points.

Turning Point
The Trojans had life midway through the second half as a quick six points from Davis and Baker gave the Trojans momentum and had the Blazers on their heels, but that was as close as the deficit would get. UAB answered back with a seven-point run. Two Person free throws and a dunk by Hicks brought the score back to within 10, but again the Blazers went on a run to increase the gap to 15.

Noteworthy
• Troy nearly doubled the team shooting percentage from the first half to the second. Though the Trojans connected on only 17.6 percent of shots to start the game, Troy shot 35.1 percent in the final 20 minutes.

• The 17 points in the opening frame were the fewest points scored by Troy since scoring 15 against Texas State on Dec. 30, 2014.

• UAB continued its' winning streak against Troy. The Trojans are now 0-9 against the in-state Blazers.

• Senior Daniel Peace had two more steals on the night to increase his season total to seven. Peace led Troy in steals last season with 44.

Up Next
Troy will see a familiar foe again as the Trojans will travel to Charleston, Ill. to complete the home-and-home series with Eastern Illinois. Troy won the first matchup on Nov. 14, 70-67. For more information on Troy men's basketball, follow the team on Instagram and Twitter at @TroyMensHoops and visit TroyAthletics.com.