Troy Falls 82-80 In Thriller Against Arkansas State

Saturday, January 21

Jonesboro, Ark.

7 P.M.

Troy University

10-10 (2-4)

Arkansas State

13-6 (4-2)

Troy

Arkansas State

Troy Falls 82-80 In Thriller Against Arkansas State

1/21/2017 9:59:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score

By: Russ Schaffer

Box Score

JONESBORO, Arkansas – In one of the more entertaining games that could have been drawn up, Troy narrowly fell 82-80 on the road against Arkansas State.

The Trojans (10-10, 2-4) led for 32:54 in the game and hit clutch shots throughout the night to silence a fevered crowd but made key errors down the stretch.

Devin Carter, who led all scorers with 23 points on 8-13 shooting, hit a jumper with 1:44 left to give Arkansas State (13-6, 4-2) a 77-75 lead. That was answered just 15 seconds later by a timely 3-pointer by Wesley Person to regain the lead with 1:29 on the clock.

It would turn out to be the last time Troy would lead on the night. Deven Simms scored on a layup for the 79-77 advantage after Person's three. It was what happened following the play that proved to be the difference maker.

Daniel Peace took the ball down the court for the Trojans in hopes of tying the game up again, but it wasn't to be as he lost control of the ball. Simms was quick to scoop it up and race down to the basket where he was fouled by Peace.

Simms calmly sank two free throws for a 81-78 lead with 51 seconds left. Turnover woes would continue to haunt Troy as the Trojans lost possession again on a Jeremy Hollimon turnover with 33 seconds to go.

Troy looked to foul on the ensuing possession, but there was no need to as Troy's full-court press forced Arkansas State to throw the ball into the Troy bench.

With the shot clock off, the Trojans had the option of trying to tie the game or to get a quick basket followed immediately by fouling the Red Wolves. Troy opted for the former and attempted a 3-pointer by Person, which bounced off the iron.

The Trojans were bailed out by Hollimon, who grabbed the ensuing rebound and was fouled on his shot attempt. He hit both free throws to cut the deficit to 81-80 with 12 seconds to play.

Rashad Lindsey hit one free throw and missed the second to give Arkansas State an 82-80 lead and Troy the chance to tie. Jordon Varnado, Troy's leader with 18 points, grabbed the rebound and dished it to Peace.

Peace raced down the court and went straight to the basket. His game-tying attempt below the rim couldn't quite get high enough and Arkansas State grabbed the rebound.

Arkansas State missed the first attempt on the one-and-one to give Troy just one more chance for the win. DeVon Walker dished it to Person for a court-long buzzer beater, but the shot bounced off the backboard as time expired.

Troy took a 39-34 lead into halftime. The Trojans were 9-3 entering the game when leading at half.

Quotable
"We've had some great games here the last four years," head coach Phil Cunningham said. "First of all, it is an incredible atmosphere to play in here. Our players love playing in environments like this, and it was a battle all the way to the end. We couldn't get the stops when we needed to at the end of the game. We also had some crucial turnovers at the end, too."

Stat of the Game
The loss in Jonesboro, Ark. will be one that the Trojan faithful will wonder how it didn't go Troy's way. The Trojans either led or were tied for 37:21 in the game with only seven lead changes throughout the contest. The two teams shot an identical 58 percent from the floor on the night, but the key difference was Troy's 12 turnovers compared to Arkansas State's eight turnovers.

Turning Point
Time and time again Troy hit clutch baskets to silence the crowd. Time and time again Troy was unable to make stops on the defensive end to extend the lead. The Trojans went on an 11-6 run to open the second half to lead 50-40 at the 16:35 mark of the second half. That was as high as the lead would get as the Red Wolves slowly chipped away. A layup by Juan Davis, Jr. with 8:30 to go gave Troy a four-point lead. The Trojans largest lead in the final eight minutes was three.

Noteworthy
• A win against Arkansas State would have marked the first time this season that the Red Wolves would have lost at home.

• Juan Davis, Jr. recorded his fourth start in a row. He rewarded the coaches for the opportunity with 16 points on 6-7 shooting and a perfect 3-3 shooting from 3-point range.

• Jeremy Hollimon has now scored in double-digits for 15-straight games. The senior had clutch free throws down the stretch en route to 15 points on 5-7 shooting.

Up Next
The Trojans will stay in Arkansas to take on Little Rock on Monday night. For more information on Troy men's basketball, follow the team on social media at @TroyMensHoops or visit TroyTrojans.com.