Troy Opens February with Saturday Matinee at Georgia State

Saturday, February 1

Atlanta, Ga.

1 p.m.

Troy University

Georgia State

Photo by: Chris Davis

Troy Opens February with Saturday Matinee at Georgia State

1/31/2020 4:48:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Troy Notes (GSU)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | AUDIO | WATCH

ATLANTA -- The Troy Trojans men's basketball program opens the month of February at Georgia State Saturday afternoon for a 1 p.m. CT contest with the Panthers.

Troy defeated Georgia State two weeks ago 75-65 in Troy.

Following the two contests in Georgia this weekend, Troy will return home for a three-game homestand beginning next Friday (Feb. 7) when rival South Alabama visits Trojan Arena for a nationally televised 8 p.m. matchup.

LAST TIME OUT- (Troy- 8-15, 4-8 Sun Belt)
The Troy Trojans enter the second month of 2020 looking to snap a three-game losing streak. Troy is coming off a tough 86-57 loss Thursday night at Georgia Southern. In that game, Troy received 14 points from Ty Gordon for the fourth consecutive game. Junior Nick Stampley added 12 points on an extremely efficient 6-of-7 shooting while Darian Adams added 12 and seven rebounds. Troy used an early 17-0 run in that game to take a 21-11 lead with 10:17 remaining, but Georgia Southern countered with a 30-4 run to take a 41-25 advantage. Troy opened the second period on a 9-4 run to cut the Eagles advantage to just 12, but Southern quickly answered the Troy run with a 25-9 outburst to take a 71-43 lead with just under eight minutes left.

LAST TIME OUT- (Georgia State, 15-7, 8-3 Sun Belt)
The Georgia State Panthers enter Saturday's matchup with Troy having won four of five overall. The lone loss for State in that span was the 75-65 setback they suffered back at Troy on Jan. 18. In that game, the Panthers were outscored 42-33 in the second half, as Troy hit 12 3-point field goals. On Thursday, Georgia State overcame another second half deficit (second straight game), overcoming a nine-point hole with 12 minutes to play. Four different Panthers scored in double-figures on Thursday led by Corey Allen who scored 19 points (8-of-8 FT). Kane Williams scored 15 points and added five assists, while Nelson Phillips scored 15 points and added seven rebounds. Starting to hit their stride the Panthers completed a 6-3 month of January and currently sit just 1.5 games behind first place Little Rock (10-2) in the Sun Belt Conference standings. Heading into Saturday's action the Panthers sit atop in the Sun Belt in nine overall categories including scoring offense (79.0 points), field-goal percentage defense (39.0 percent), scoring margin (8.7 points), steals per game (8.1) and 3-point defense (27.9 percent.) Georgia State's 27.9 percent 3-point defense is the fifth best mark in the nation, while their overall field-goal percentage defense ranks in the top-30.

Trojan Storylines:
• Heading into Saturday's action Troy has three victories (Little Rock, Georgia State and Texas State) against the top five teams in the conference.
• The Trojans need just one more Sun Belt victory to equal the programs total from a season ago. Last year Troy went 5-13 in Sun Belt Conference play.
• Since being reinserted into the starting lineup back on Jan. 6 at Texas State, junior Nick Stampley is averaging (8 games) 8.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Stampley is shooting a blistering 26-of-41 (.634) from the field in that span and has grabbed 17 offensive rebounds.
• Troy has enjoyed a double-digit lead in nine of 12 Sun Belt contests. Troy is just 4-5 in those instances.
• Ty Gordon is averaging 14.0 points and 4.0 assists in 2020. Gordon has recorded at least 10 points in eight of Troy's 10 games this month. Gordon has scored at least 14 points in four consecutive contests.
• Troy is in a stretch of four straight "rematch" games. The span which began last Wednesday night at Little Rock, continued Saturday afternoon against Arkansas State. Troy will play two more rematch games this weekend against Georgia Southern and Georgia State. Troy is 0-4 this season in a second match up against a team.
• Troy has won five of its last six games where they have hit at least 10 3-pointers. The lone setback for Troy in that stretch was Dec. 21st against App State. The Trojans are just 3-11 when they don't hit at least 10 3-pointers.
• The Trojans have hit 66 3-pointers over the last seven games. Troy hit a season-best 15 3-pointers in the victory over Little Rock back on Jan. 9. The 15 3-pointers were the most a Troy has hit since 2017.
• Troy has drawn 63 total charges this season through 23 games (2.7-per- game). The Trojans have drawn at least one charge 21 of 23 games. The Trojans didn't draw a charge at Chattanooga or at Texas State.
• The Trojans are 7-1 this season when holding teams to 65 points or fewer. Troy's lone loss when holding a team below that mark was at Texas A&M (56-52, loss). Conversely, the Trojans are 1-14 when allowing more than 70 points. Troy's lone victory when allowing more than 70 was against Little Rock. The Trojans are also 7-1 this season when holding an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting.

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