Trojans Look to Close Out 2019 in Style; Host App State

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TROY, Ala. -- The Troy Trojans men's basketball team looks to open Sun Belt Conference play 2-0 Saturday afternoon when Appalachian State visits Trojan Arena for a 2 p.m. matchup. The Trojans have won three straight home matchups against the Mountaineers and are looking to extend a four-game Trojan Arena winning streak.

Saturday's matchup is Troy's final game in 2019, as the Trojans won't return to action until Jan. 2, 2020 at ULM.

LAST TIME OUT- (Troy, 5-7).
The Trojans snapped Coastal Carolina's four-game winning streak on Thursday night, earning a hard-fought 77-59 victory. It was the first time Troy opened up Sun Belt Conference play 1-0 since the 2009-10 season, when Troy began SBC play 3-0. The Trojans held the potent Coastal Carolina attack (second-best 3-point shooting team in the country) to 0-for-9 in the first half, and 3-for-21 overall (14.3 percent). The 14 percent shooting from behind the arc, was the lowest percentage a Troy team has allowed this season. In the victory, three different Trojans reached double-figures, as Ty Gordon scored 17 points and connected on a career-best five 3-pointers, while Darian Adams (13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) and Zay Williams (11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) each scored at least 10 points for the third consecutive game. The Trojans improved to 5-1 this season when holding an opponent to fewer than 65 points, and to 5-2 when shooting at least 70 percent (19-25, 76 percent) from the free-throw line. Thursday was the ninth time this season that Troy forced at least 10 turnovers in a half and was the first time Troy won (previously 0-5) when getting outrebounded.

LAST TIME OUT- (Appalachian State, 7-4)
The Appalachian State Mountaineers enter Saturday's contest at Troy having won three straight. The winning streak began with an impressive 90-58 victory over St. Andrews, before App earned back-to-back road wins at Howard (81-59) and South Alabama (81-71). The Mountaineers are 4-0 this season when scoring at least 80 points and have recorded at least 80 points in three straight contests. On Thursday night against South Alabama, App State shot 54.4 percent from the field, behind 32 points from guard Justin Forrest, who recorded his fourth game with at least 20 points. The junior is averaging 17.1 points and 4.4 rebounds a game. The Mountaineers also received a big game from forward Isaac Johnson, who scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his 37 minutes of work.

Trojan Storylines
• Junior Darian Adams is nine points away from reaching 500 career-points.
• The Trojans held Coastal Carolina to 0-of-9 from three in the first half, and to just 3-of-12 in the second half. Coastal's 14.3 percent 3-point shooting was the lowest an opponent has been held to since last Mar. 9, when the Trojans held Coastal to just 2-of-17 shooting (11.8 percent).
• Freshman Desmond Williams has scored 55 points over his first five 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 are 5-1 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.
• The Trojans have won four straight games at Trojan Arena for the first time since 2017 (Feb. 18-Mar. 4). The Trojans are looking for their first five game winning streak since 2013 (Nov. 11-Dec. 28).
• The Trojans have led at the half in eight of 12 games this season. Troy is outscoring its opponents 406-376 in the first half this season.
• Troy has recorded at least nine offensive rebounds in all 12 contests this season. The Trojans are 4-1 this season when they out rebound their opponents, and 1-5 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 4-1 when Williams' plays.

Promotions
- $2 general admission tickets.
- Free 'Santa Hats' for the first 500 fans.
- Santa's coming to town! Santa Claus will be taking pictures in the rotunda.

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
Junior Ty Gordon recorded 17 points and a career-best five 3-pointers on Thursday night, leading the Trojans to a 77-59 victory over Coastal Carolina. The guard narrowly missed his career-high of 18 points set back on Nov. 7 against UAB.

Trojans Look to Close Out 2019 in Style; Host App State

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Players Mentioned

Darian Adams

Ty Gordon

Jakevan Leftridge

Jordon Varnado

Desmond Williams

Zay Williams

Troy University Athletics