Trojans Host Coastal Thursday for Sun Belt Opener

TROY, Ala. -- The Troy Trojans men's basketball program opens Sun Belt Conference play Thursday evening when Coastal Carolina visits Trojan Arena.

The matchup is Troy's first of 20 Sun Belt Conference games this season and the first of 10 SBC matchups at Trojan Arena.

LAST TIME OUT- (Troy, 4-7).
The Trojans saw an overall three-game winning streak snapped last Sunday at Chattanooga, falling 84-80 in overtime. In the loss, freshman Desmond Williams scored 20 points, while Darian Adams added 19 and eight rebounds. Sophomore Zay Williams scored 12 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and recorded three blocked shots. The Birmingham native recorded his first career double-double and has now scored in double-figures seven times this season. The Trojans shot the ball well from the floor on Sunday, shooting 49.2 percent from the floor. Troy also shot better than 70 percent from the free-throw for the fifth consecutive contest. It was Troy's first overtime contest since last Jan. 12 at Arkansas State (90-85, Troy victory). Troy has won three consecutive games at Trojan Arena, and is seeking the first four-game home winning streak since 2017 (Feb.18 -Mar. 4).

LAST TIME OUT- (Coastal Carolina, 7-4)
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers enter Thursday's SBC opener having won four straight games. The Chants have scored at least 90 points in all four of those contests and have reached the 90 point mark six times (all victories). CCU is 0-4 this season when scoring fewer than 75 points. The Chanticleers made some noise this season at the 2019 Myrtle Beach Invitational, defeating Middle Tennessee State (93-72) and Utah (79-57) in the first two rounds. The Chants led nationally-ranked Baylor in the second half of the Semifinals of the tournament by seven points with 14 minutes left, before falling to the Bears 77-65. In that game Coastal lost its dynamic point guard Ebrima Dibba to a season-ending knee injury in the second half. So far this season, Coastal Carolina has the ninth-most prolific offense (84.2 points-per-game) and is third nationally in 3-point percentage (42.4). Guard Tyrell Gumbs-Frater currently leads the country in 3-point field goal percentage (54.8 percent) and has recorded at least three 3-point field goals in five of Coastal's 11 games.

Trojan Storylines
• Freshman Desmond Williams has scored 48 points over his first four career games. The Montgomery native scored a career-best 20 points Sunday afternoon at Chattanooga. Williams' 20 points were the most by a true-freshman since Jordon Varnado dropped 25 at Seton Hall back in 2015.
• The Trojans have won three straight games at Trojan Arena for the first time since 2018 (Feb. 3-10). A victory would give Troy its first four-game home winning streak since 2017 (Feb. 18-Mar. 4).
• The Trojans have led at the half in seven of the teams 11 games this season. Troy is outscoring its opponents 368-352 in the first half.
• Troy has recorded at least 10 offensive rebounds in 10 straight contests. It's the longest streak for a Troy team since 2013-14, when Troy grabbed at least 10 rebounds in 15 consecutive games (Dec. 23, 2013-Feb. 20, 2014). • The Trojans are 4-1 this season when they out rebound their opponents, and 0-5 when getting out rebounded.
• Troy freshmen Jakevan Leftridge and Desmond Williams made their Troy debuts against Shorter. Originally scheduled to redshirt, Leftridge and Williams also earned their first career starts. The duo combined for 20 points, four assists and four rebounds. Troy is 3-1 when Leftridge and Williams play.
• The Trojans are 4-1 this season when holding teams to fewer than 65 points. Troy's lone loss when holding a team below that mark was at Texas A&M (56-52, loss). Conversely, the Trojans are 0-5 when allowing more than 75 points.
• Troy dropped a difficult 84-80 overtime decision at Chattanooga Sunday afternoon. The Trojans led by five with 3:00 left, but a pair of 3-pointers tied the game at 73 with 1:57 left. Both teams had opportunities to win the game, but the game was ultimately tied at the end of regulation. In OT, UTC outscored Troy 11-7.

Promotions
- Donate a new unwrapped toy or stuffed animal and receive a $1 general admission ticket.
- Free hot chocolate in the rotunda (while supplies last).

Broadcast Information
ESPN +: Barry McKnight (PBP) and Jerry Miller (Color)
Live Audio: TroyTrojans.com/watch
Radio: Doug Amos on the Troy Sports Radio Network

One to Watch
Sophomore Zay Williams is coming off another strong outing last Sunday afternoon, as the forward recorded 12 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks for his first career double-double. The Birmingham native has now scored in double-figures in seven games this season, including the last three games and four of five contests. Williams is averaging 12.5 points and 6.1 rebounds so far this season and is shooting 50.5 percent from the field.

Trojans Host Coastal Thursday for Sun Belt Opener

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Players Mentioned

Darian Adams

Jakevan Leftridge

Jordon Varnado

Desmond Williams

Zay Williams

Troy University Athletics