Troy Falls to South Alabama 76-75 In Conference Opener

Monday, January 2

Mobile, Ala.

7:05 PM

Troy University

8-7 (0-1SBC)

South Alabama

8-6 (1-0SBC)

Troy

South Alabama

Troy Falls to South Alabama 76-75 In Conference Opener

1/2/2017 9:51:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score

By: Russ Schaffer

Box Score

MOBILE, Alabama – Jordon Varnado went to attempt the game-winning shot with one second on the clock, but South Alabama got a steal to win 76-75 in Troy's conference opener on Monday night.

The Trojans (8-7) led by five with 1:57 on the clock off of a Jordon Varnado jumper, but that would be the last points Troy would score.

On a night highlighted by crucial free throws, South Alabama (8-6) hit four clutch ones down the stretch to erase the deficit. After the Varnado jumper, Herb McGee, who had the steal at the buzzer, hit two free throws to make it 75-72 with 1:43 to go.

Wesley Person then proceeded to turn the ball over on the following possession. McGee only had four points total on the night, but all four came in the final two minutes. After Person's turnover, McGee hit a layup to cut it to 75-74 with 1:20 remaining.

The woes continued for Troy as the next trip down the court also resulted in a turnover as Shaq Calhoun stripped Varnado of the ball. The Trojans lead evaporated as a Jeremy Hollimon foul sent Calhoun to the line, where he proceeded to score the game's final points and give the Jaguars the 76-75 lead.

Even with the momentum against the Trojans, there were still 55 seconds on the clock following the two free throws, yet it was much of the same on the following possession as the ball bounced off Kevin Baker's hands to give it back to South Alabama.

Georgi Boyanov could have essentially ended the game with a 3-point attempt with 16 seconds left, but the shot bounced off the rim and Troy grabbed the rebound. The Trojans scrambled to get a play set up before Varnado was stripped to hand Troy the first conference loss of the year.

It was a well-rounded offensive attack by Troy that pushed the game to the limit. DeVon Walker was a force all night in getting a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. He was 5-of-9 from the field.

Kevin Baker was a consistent deep threat for the Trojans by scoring 14 points on four 3-pointers. Other double-digit scorers were Hollimon with 12, Varnado with 11 and Person with 10. The Jaguars were led by 18 points from Ken Williams.

Quotable
"We did a lot of things really well tonight and put ourselves in a position to win," head coach Phil Cunningham said. "The stat that stands out is the 19 turnovers and three in the last four possessions. It's a tough loss when we put ourselves in a position to win on the road."

Stat of the Game
As Cunningham said, it was the turnovers that doomed Troy down the stretch. Troy had 19 turnovers and only 11 assists. On the other hand, South Alabama only had six turnovers on the night. Jordon Varnado had eight turnovers, which marked a career high.

Turning Point
While South Alabama had the free throws down the stretch, Troy had a series of five-straight free throws with 9:14 on the clock. After the Jaguars took a 54-52 lead, Jeremy Hollimon was fouled on a 3-point attempt by Nick Stover. Stover, who was leading South Alabama with 15 points at the time, then was called for a technical foul and fouled out. Person hit both technical free throws and Hollimon hit all three of his free throws to give Troy a 57-54 lead without a second transpiring.

Noteworthy
• A ninth win would have equaled the total amount of wins from last season just one game into conference play.

• Troy was 14-of-20 (70 percent) from the free throw line while South Alabama was 18-26 (69.2 percent).

• The 32-29 halftime deficit was the first time Troy has trailed at half in seven games. The last time was at home against USF on Dec. 1.

Up Next
The Trojans will continue Sun Belt play with a trip to Georgia this weekend. Troy will start with Georgia Southern on Jan. 7 and finish with Georgia State on Jan. 9. For more information on Troy men's basketball, follow the team on social media at @TroyMensHoops or visit TroyTrojans.com.