Trojans Ride Long-Ball to Victory Over Previously Unbeaten Little Rock

Thursday, January 9

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

7-10,3-3Sun Bel

Little Rock

11-6,5-1Sun Bel

Little Rock

Troy

Photo by: Chris Davis

Trojans Ride Long-Ball to Victory Over Previously Unbeaten Little Rock

1/9/2020 10:28:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. -- The Troy Trojans men's basketball program used 15 3-pointers to hand the Little Rock University Trojans its first Sun Belt Conference loss of the season Thursday evening at Trojan Arena.

In the 76-71 triumph, the Troy Trojans (7-10, 3-3 Sun Belt) scored 44 second half points and hit 8-of-12 from behind the 3-point arc in the final period. Junior Darian Adams recorded 18 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, while classmate Ty Gordon added 17 points and 5 assists on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting from the floor.

Adams scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown.

For the game, Troy shot 15-for-31 (48.4 percent) from three and recorded 17 assists on 25 made baskets. The home team held a 45-15 advantage from behind the 3-point arc.

After missing the first three 3-pointers they attempted, the Trojans got hot from deep, hitting four consecutive triples to take a 14-12 lead with 13:09 remaining.

Five minutes later with the score 19-17 Troy, Charles Norman was able to hit a pair of 3-pointers to give the home team an eight-point (25-17) advantage with 7:21 remaining in the half.

After an 12-4 run by Little Rock tied the game at 29, the Trojans hit a free throw, and Ty Gordon stripped a Little Rock (11-6, 5-1 Sun Belt) player converting a coast-to-coast layup that gave Troy a 32-29 lead heading into the break.

In the first half, Troy held the potent Little Rock offense to just 29 points and 1-of-9 shooting from deep.

Following the halftime break, freshman Jakevan Leftridge hit a fast break 3-pointer and Adams connected on a bucket that gave Troy an eight-point advantage with 19:01 left.

Little Rock cut the Troy lead to just four with 17:47 left in the game, but three-pointers by Desmond Williams and Ty Gordon quickly increased the lead back up to eight.

With 14:33 remaining, Adams stole a Little Rock pass and went coast-to-coast, throwing down an epic dunk that gave Troy a 10-point lead with 14:43 left.

After a 14-6 outburst that cut the Troy lead to just 51-49 with 9:37 left, Des Williams and Adams hit four 3-pointers that gave Troy a 12-point advantage with 5:44 remaining.

Little Rock cooked up a full-court press that cut the Troy lead to three points with 17 seconds remaining, but Nick Stampley hit a pair of free throws to seal the game for the Trojans.

Troy returns to action Saturday afternoon for a 4:15 contest at Little Rock. Saturday's matchup will be Troy's fifth game in 10 days.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• The Trojans improve to 5-3 this season at Troy Arena. Troy has won five of its last six at Trojan Arena.
• Troy has led at the half in all six SBC games.
• The "four guard" lineup of Des Williams-Gordon-Adams-Leftridge-Stampely is 2-0.
• The 15 3-pointers are the most threes a Troy team has made since Troy made 17 against UT Arlington back on Jan. 14, 2017. That Mavericks team was coached by Scott Cross.
• Troy recorded 17 assists on 23 made baskets.
• The Trojans have scored 86 points in the second half the last two games.
• Gordon is averaging 14.8 points a game in Sun Belt Conference play. His 17 points are one shy of his career-high set back on Nov. 7 against UAB.
• Troy has now been outrebounded in all three of its SBC wins.
• Adams, Gordon and Des Williams combined for 40 points, 11 3-pointers, and 10 assists.
• Troy improves to 3-7 when getting outrebound, and to 3-2 when getting outrebounded in league play.
• Tonight was the first time Troy won a game when allowing 70 points or more. The Trojans were previously 0-9 in those instances.
• Troy improves to 6-2 when scoring at least 70 points. The Trojans are 3-0 when scoring 70 in conference play.

HEAD COACH SCOTT CROSS:
"Our guys did a great job tonight. Coach JJ [Jermain Johnson] had the game plan and did a great job of explaining everyone's responsibilities on defense. We hit shots which helps, but this was one of the best wins of the year for us. We're making some strides as a team, and the mental training hopefully is starting to work. We've talked about being laser focused and re-focusing quickly when we lose our focus. And our guys, led by DA, were able to do that tonight. He hit a couple of shots that were the difference in the game. And then, Nick [Stampley] just battles and plays so hard. He has to be one of the shortest five-men in our league, but he's definitely one of the best defenders in the league because he has long arms and is so strong. And then you mix in his ability to take charges which is a major weapon for us. His ability to sacrifice his body makes us a better defensive team. You couldn't ask for a better performance from 3-point distance than we got tonight. 15-of-31 is an impressive shooting night. But it's a result of the hard work our guys have put in. Since we've returned from Christmas break, we've spent every night shooting. We're shooting twice a day, every day, and you're starting to see the results."

On the three-guard lineup (Gordon, Des Williams and Adams):
"In the first half we took some bad shots and our guys were in a rush a bit. In the second half we've moved the ball and got good shots. When we take good shots, we're going to be very hard for teams to guard. On the flip side we'll probably be overmatched inside. So, we're going to need to battle and be as tough as we can. Hopefully we can make up for it with our quickness and speed."

DARIAN ADAMS:
"Tonight was a great performance for our team. Everyone was smiling in the locker room after the game, which is how we want the locker room to be every game. It was fun to get the win tonight. In the first half I was a little down on myself, but coach Cross told me to stay in the game and keep being confident. I knew I still had another 20 minutes, so I kept shooting. I just shot the ball with confidence tonight. Right now, I think we're a confident team. We know we can compete with any team in our league. We went out there tonight and played with toughness."