Trojans Close Out Mega Road Trip at Texas State Monday

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SAN MARCOS, Texas -- The Troy Trojans men's basketball program will close out the opening road trip of 2020 Monday evening at Texas State. Tip-off from Strahan Arena is set for 7 p.m. Troy will look for the programs first victory in San Marcos in school history (0-5).

The matchup is Troy's lone Monday conference game of the year, necessitated by the conference switching to a 20-game slate. The Trojans return to action Thursday night when Little Rock visits Trojan Arena for a 6 p.m. matchup.

LAST TIME OUT- (Troy, 5-10, 1-3 Sun Belt).
The Trojans look to snap a three-game Sun Belt Conference losing streak, and a four-game road losing streak. On Saturday night the Trojans fell at Louisiana 79-62, despite enjoying a 42-37 advantage at the break. In Saturday's matchup, Troy received 15 points from both Ty Gordon (8-of-10 free throws, 4 assists) and Darian Adams (6 rebounds, 3 steals). Louisiana outscored the Trojans 42-20 over the final period, resulting in Troy's lowest second half output in nearly five years (Jan. 29, 2015 – ULM 19 points). The Ragin' Cajuns dominated the glass on Saturday, out-rebounding Troy 42-27. Troy did force 12 first half Louisiana turnovers, which was the 11^th time this season that Troy forced double-digit turnovers in a half.

LAST TIME OUT- (Texas State, 8-7, 1-3 Sun Belt)
The Bobcats entered Saturday's matchup at Arkansas State having lost three-in-a-row and five of their last six but earned a hard fought 70-67 victory in Jonesboro. After seeing an 11-point advantage dwindled to two with 59 seconds, and just one with 14 seconds, the Bobcats converted six consecutive attempts from the line to ice the game. In total, the Bobcats shot an impressive 29-of-36 (.810) from the charity stripe. Sun Belt Player of the Year candidate Nijal Pearson led the Bobcats in scoring (23) and knocked down all nine of his free-throw attempts. Pearson is now averaging 18.7 points-per-game (second-best in the Sun Belt) and is shooting 43.6 percent. Pearson is just 199 points shy of reaching the elusive 2,000-point mark for his career. His 1,801 points are the third most in Texas State history. The Bobcats are one of the most efficient teams at drawing fouls, and are currently ranked 19^th in the country in free-throw attempts made (246). As a team the Bobcats are shooting 74.1 percent. Texas State leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring margin (8.8) and field goal percentage (.471). Defensively the Bobcats have been stingy, holding opponents to just 64.4 points a game (second-lowest in the SBC) and to 38.7 percent from the field.

Trojan Storylines
• The Trojans are playing their second game in the Lonestar state this season.
Troy previously played at Texas A&M back on Nov. 20. The Trojans wont play at UT Arlington this season, instead the Mavericks will visit Trojan in March.
• The Trojans have driven nearly 1,000 miles so far this road trip. The trip began at ULM (400 miles). Troy then traveled from Monroe to Lafayette (184 miles) for Saturday's contest. On Sunday, Troy traveled from Lafayette to San Marcos (381 miles).
• Troy has drawn 44 total charges this season through 15 games (2.9 per
game). The Trojans have drawn at least one charge 14 of 15 games. The lone game Troy didn't draw a charge was the matchup at Chattanooga.
• 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 0-8 when allowing more than 70 points.
• The Trojans bench has scored 138 points the last four games (34.5 points-per-game). After not reaching 30 points in the first two games, Troy's bench has scored at least 30 points in six straight home
games. Troy's bench scored a season-best 78 points in the Troy's 104-53 victory.
• The Trojans have led at the half in 10 of 15 games this season. Troy is outscoring its opponents 526-483 (+43) 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.
• Troy has recorded at least nine offensive rebounds in 14 of 15 contests this season. The Trojans are 4-2 this season when they out rebound their opponents, and 1-7 when getting out rebounded.

Broadcast Information
ESPN +: Brant Freeman (PBP) and Suzanne Fox (Color)
Live Audio: TroyTrojans.com/watch
Radio: Barry McKnight on the Troy Sports Radio Network

One to Watch
Junior Ty Gordon has been a spark for the Trojans as of late, scoring in double-figures in four of his last five games. On Saturday, Gordon scored 15 points, hitting 8-of-10 free-throw attempts. The guard also added four assists and three rebounds. Gordon increased his scoring average to 10.9 points, the third highest mark on the team this season.

Trojans Close Out Mega Road Trip at Texas State Monday

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Players Mentioned

Darian Adams

Ty Gordon

Troy University Athletics