Troy Hangs On For 81-72 Win; Clinches Winning Record

Thursday, March 2

Troy, Ala.

7:30 PM

Troy University

17-14 (9-8)

Arkansas State

20-10 (11-6)

Arkansas State

Troy

Troy Hangs On For 81-72 Win; Clinches Winning Record

3/2/2017 10:50:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score

By: Russ Schaffer

Box Score

TROY, Alabama – Arkansas State made things close down the stretch, but Troy was able to hold on for an 81-72 win in Trojan Arena on Thursday night.

The win against the No. 2 team in the Sun Belt meant that Troy (17-14, 9-8) clinched a winning record for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

After starting the game off tied at four two minutes in, the Trojans rattled off a 15-2 run in the following four minutes. Neither team could find much space to shoot as Troy held the lead for the duration of the opening frame to take a 34-27 lead into the break.

From there, the pace of the game quickly went against the Red Wolves (20-10, 11-6) as the Trojans slowly dominated coming out of halftime by continuing the stifling defense that was seen in the first half.

Led by a game-high 20 points from Jordon Varnado, Troy got the lead to as high as 20 after a layup by Jeremy Hollimon with 8:20 to play.

However, it wouldn't be an easy victory as the Troy faithful would have hoped as Arkansas State slowly chipped away at the lead down the stretch.

The Red Wolves employed a full-court press that limited the amount of field goal attempts the Trojans had but frequently sent Troy to the free-throw line where the home squad was 27-37 (73.0 percent) on the night.

Two free throws by Rashad Lindsey cut Troy's lead to four with 2:54 to play, but it was clutch shooting that saved the day. A 3-pointer by DeVon Walker 23 seconds later got the lead back up to seven points.

The Red Wolves reduced the lead by just one over the following minute beforeWesley Person and Jeremy Hollimon essentially iced the game with six free throws in the final minute.

Quotable
"It wasn't pretty down the stretch there, but it's a win," head coach Phil Cunningham said. "Anytime you can get a win, it's critical. With the position we were in going into these last two games, we had to get a win just to stay alive and keep fighting for seeding. I'm proud of the guys for holding them off. Give them credit for making a comeback; they're an excellent team. We just somehow found a way to hold them off."

Stat of the Game
One game before playing in the final home game of his Trojan career, DeVon Walker posted a career-high 18 points on Thursday night. The forward was 6-9 from the field and hit his third and fourth 3-pointers on the season. He also had seven rebounds, was 4-4 from the charity stripe and did not turn it over once.

Turning Point
Despite how close the game got at the finish, Troy never allowed Arkansas State to get within three points. A 3-pointer by Devin Carter cut the lead to 76-72 with 35 seconds remaining, but Troy eliminated the potential for any sort of improbable comeback, as those were the last points the visiting team would score on the night. The Trojans held the Red Wolves to just 33.8 percent shooting on the night.

Noteworthy
• The win kept Troy in seventh place in the Sun Belt standings. Troy can move up to the sixth spot depending on the outcomes on Saturday.

• Arkansas State had four 3-pointers on the night, which equaled the lowest Troy has allowed this season.

• The Trojans made 27 free throws, the second-most on the year.

Up Next
The final regular season game of the season will be Saturday against Little Rock as seniors DeVon Walker, Daniel Peace and Jeremy Hollimon will be recognized. For more information on Troy men's basketball, follow the team on social media at @TroyMensHoops or visit TroyTrojans.com.