Troy University Athletics
Saturday, February 13
Troy, Ala.
4:15 p.m.
Troy University
8-17, 3-11
54
vs
53
Georgia State
13-10 6-8
1
2
F
Georgia State
23
30
53
Troy
24
30
54
Team Stats
GSU
TROY
FG%
.345
.378
3FG%
.167
.389
FT%
.591
.722
RB
35
35
TO
15
17
STL
11
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Basketball (M)
F
/ Basketball (M)G
/ Basketball (M)F
/ Basketball (M)F
/ Basketball (M)Photo by: Chris Davis
Walton’s Late Bucket Lifts Troy Past Georgia State
2/13/2016 7:37:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Alabama – John Walton III hit a layup with 10 seconds remaining and Shawn Hopkins came up with a big block on the other end, as Troy knocked off Georgia State, 54-53, in a Sun Belt Conference thriller Saturday in Trojan Arena.
Isaiah Williams hit a 3-pointer – his only points of the night – to give Georgia State a 50-49 lead with 3:06 to play in the game; its first lead since the 19:27 mark of the second half. Marcus Crider pushed the Panthers' lead out to four as he hit a pair of free throws with 2:25 to play.
Wesley Person, who fed the game-winner to Walton, buried his fourth 3-pointer of the game with 34 seconds to play to pull Troy within one, 53-52. On the ensuing possession, Troy's backcourt trap forced Williams to step on the sideline and turn the ball back over to the Trojans.
Person drove the right side of the lane and was forced out of bounds by a Georgia State defender. As he was falling, Person found a streaking Walton, who powered to the basket for the bucket. Following a timeout, Williams missed a layup and Hopkins blocked Crider's potential game-winner after he pulled down an offensive rebound.
Walton led the Trojans with 16 points and narrowly missed his second straight double-double as he finished with eight rebounds. Walton hit on 5-of-7 from the floor and also recorded three blocks and a steal in the win; he is averaging 18.2 points and 9.4 rebounds over Troy's last five games.
After being held scoreless in the first half, Person exploded for 14 points in the second half and extended his consecutive games with a 3-pointer streak out to 54 straight games. Hopkins finished with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal, while Jaro Moravek added four points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Troy (8-17, 3-11 Sun Belt) finished with nine blocks in the game, which is the most by a Trojan team since former head coach Don Maestri's final game back on March 9, 2013, against Arkansas State in the Sun Belt Tournament.
The Trojans shot 50 percent (10-of-20) from the floor and 60 percent (6-of-10) from 3-point range in the second half, which was a stark comparison to their 28 percent and 13 percent marks, respectively, in the first half.
Jeremy Hollowell scored a game-high 22 points and added three blocks to lead Georgia State (13-10, 6-8), while Crider added a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Trojans held Kevin Ware in check most of the night as he finished with just four points, but added five assists.
Both teams battled through a sluggish first half and traded the lead back-and-forth until Troy settled on a 24-23 advantage at the break.
After Georgia State hit the first bucket of the second half, the Trojans went on a 9-0 run to take a 33-25 lead with 17:41 to play in the game. Jordon Varnado and Person both hit threes in the run and Hopkins connected on three free throws after he was fouled behind the arc.
The Trojans led for over 25 minutes in the ball game and shot 72 percent from the free throw line. Troy held Georgia State to just 34.5 percent shooting from the floor for the game and just 16.7 percent from 3-point range.
Troy hits the road for a pair of games next week beginning with an in-state battle at rival South Alabama on Tuesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. in the Mitchell Center. Troy then travels to Boone, N.C., to take on Appalachian State on Saturday.
Troy vs Mercer (Full Highlights)
Thursday, September 11
Amiah Butler Postgame Press Conference - Mercer
Thursday, September 11
Josh Lauer Postgame Press Conference - Mercer
Thursday, September 11
𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗹 - 𝗦𝟭𝟬, 𝗘𝟮
Wednesday, September 10