Troy Looks to Bounce Back Saturday Against Georgia State

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TROY, Ala. – The Troy Trojans men's basketball program looks to bounce-back Saturday afternoon, when Georgia State visits Trojan Arena for a 2 p.m. matchup Saturday.

Following Saturday's matchup with Georgia State, the Trojans will hit the road for a rare Wednesday night conference matchup at Little Rock. Tip-off from "The Rock" is set for 6:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT- (Troy- 7-12, 3-5 Sun Belt)
The Troy Trojans look to snap a two-game losing streak Saturday afternoon against first place Georgia State. Troy will look to bounce back after a tough 82-66 loss to Georgia Southern. In that game, the Trojans enjoyed an early 12-6 advantage when freshman Jakevan Leftridge went down with an injury. Leftridge did not return to the game. A Tahj Small triple gave Troy a 15-14 lead with 13:16 left, but the visiting Eagles used a 19-6 run to take a 12 point (33-21) lead with 6:19 left. The Trojans who cut the Eagles advantage to just six with 2:01 left, went to the locker room for halftime down just eight. An early 7-4 run cut the Georgia Southern lead to 47-42, but the Eagles used one last 19-10 stretch to blow the game open. In the loss, junior Nick Stampley added a career-high 17 points, 7 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Freshman Desmond Williams added 14 points, while Ty Gordon and Darian Adams combined for 9 assists. Troy recorded an assist on 20-of-27 made baskets.

LAST TIME OUT- (Georgia State, 13-6, 6-2 Sun Belt)
The Georgia State Panthers enter Saturday's matchup with Troy in a three-way tie (Georgia State, Georgia Southern and Little Rock) for first place in the Sun Belt. The Panthers, who have reached back-to-back NCAA Tournament, have won 10 of their last 13 games overall. On Thursday night, Georgia State began a three-game road trip at South Alabama with a hard fought 72-63 victory over the Jaguars. In that game, Georgia State used a 19-4 run to erase a six-point second half deficit. Redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts led the Panthers with 20 points (6-of-11 3-point range), while Pitt transfer Damon Wilson added 13 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. For the game, Georgia State hit 15 3-pointers, outscoring South Alabama 45-6 from deep. Four different Panthers reached double figures, led by Roberts and Wilson. For the season, four Panthers are scoring in double-figures led by Corey Allen (14.9 points) and Roberts (13.5 points). On the defensive end, Georgia State has been one of the best teams in the country at forcing turnovers, as the Panthers are forcing an average of 17.5 turnovers per game. On Thursday night, GSU forced 20 South Alabama turnovers, the 14^th time this season that Georgia State has forced at least 15 turnovers. The Panthers have forced 20 turnovers in three consecutive games, and in six of their eight Sun Belt Conference games.

Trojan Storylines
• The Trojans will play three straight games against the top-three teams (all tied at 6-2) in the Sun Belt. Georgia Southern
entered Thursday with a record of 5-2 in the conference, which placed them in a three-way tie with Georgia State and Little Rock. The Panthers (6-2) head to Trojan Arena on Saturday, before Troy visits Little Rock (6-2) next Wednesday (Jan. 22).
• The Trojans recorded 20 assists on Thursday night for the second time this season. Troy recorded an assist on 74.1 percent of its made baskets (20-of-27).
• The Trojans are 5-2 in their last seven home contests. Troy is on a stretch of three of four games at home, and will play six of nine at Trojan Arena.
• Junior Ty Gordon has returned to the starting lineup in style, averaging 12 points and 4.6 assists a game. Gordon has turned the ball over just 12 times in the five games and has recorded nine steals.
• Troy has drawn 54 total charges this season through 19 games (2.9-per- game). The Trojans have drawn at least one charge 17 of 19 games. The Trojans didn't draw a charge at Chattanooga or at Texas State.
• The Trojans are 6-1 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 1-11 when allowing more than 70 points. Troy's lone victory when allowing more than 70 was Thursday night against Little Rock.
• The Trojans have led at the half in 12 of 19 games this season. Troy is outscoring its opponents 648-611 (+37) in the first half this season. Troy's 45 first half points against App State were the most Troy has scored in a first half this season.

Promotions:
• Scouts Day: Group tickets available for Scouts and their families.
• Hoops and Heroes: Complimentary tickets for all active, retired and reserve members of the armed forces and Gold Star Families. Fans can visit VetTix.org to register.
• Students: The first 200 Troy students will receive a patriotic 'Power-T' t-shirt. Free wings from Preston's in the student lounge (while supplies last).
• Greek Life Challenge: Sigma Chi and Kappa Delta will compete in the second game of the 2020 Greek Life Challenge.

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 Nick Stampley scored a career-high 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds, blocked two shots and took a charge on Thursday. Since being re-inserted into the lineup at Texas State (four games), Stampley is averaging 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds. The Florida native is shooting 14-of-22 (63.6 percent) from the floor in that span and has recorded five blocks. He has attempted 14 of Troy's 49 free throws the last four outings.

Troy Looks to Bounce Back Saturday Against Georgia State

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Players Mentioned

Darian Adams

Ty Gordon

Jakevan Leftridge

Tahj Small

Nick Stampley

Desmond Williams

Troy University Athletics