Short-Handed Trojans Drop OT Heartbreaker at Georgia Southern

Friday, January 15

Statesboro, Ga.

5 p.m.

Troy University

6-6,1-2Sun Belt

Georgia Southern

8-6,2-3Sun Belt

OT 1

Troy

Ga. Southern

Short-Handed Trojans Drop OT Heartbreaker at Georgia Southern

1/15/2021 9:26:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

STATESBORO, Ga. -- Despite a career-best 23 points from freshman Kam Woods, the Troy men's basketball program dropped an extra-period heartbreaker Friday night at Hanner Fieldhouse.

Missing five scholarship players due to injury, the Trojans (6-6, 1-2 Sun Belt) also played the final 39 minutes of the series-opener without senior Nick Stampley, who exited the game six minutes in due to a blow to the mouth.

Down by as many as 11 points in the second half, the feisty Trojans rose above the adversity in regulation, using an 11-3 run over the final 5:37 to send the contest into an extra session.

After winning the tip, Woods nailed a triple to give the visitors a 62-59 advantage 23 seconds into the period.

On the ensuing Georgia Southern (8-6, 2-3 Sun Belt) possession the Eagles answered the Trojan triple with an and-one layup from Eric Boone who tied the contest at 62. The layup was the lone field goal that the Trojans allowed over the final 10 minutes and 59 seconds of the final period.

With the score tied at 62, the Trojans missed a layup and the Eagles were able to grab a defensive rebound with 3:51 to play.

After a Zack Bryant layup went out of bounds off the Trojans, Bryant was fouled with 3:12 to play and hit both free-throws to give GS a 64-62 advantage.

Over the next 2:46 of action, neither the Trojans nor the Eagles managed a point. The best scoring opportunity of the contest came when Bryant missed a pair of attempts from the line with 39 ticks to play.

Following the second miss, Zay Williams was able to secure possession for the Trojans who used an acrobatic layup from Woods to cut the deficit to 66-64 with 26 seconds to play.

An errant pass intended for Prince Toyambi fell out of bounds and gave possession back to Woods and the Trojans.

After a called timeout, Woods drove the lane and attempted a contested layup that was blocked by the Eagles who raced down the court.

Needing to extend the game, Troy fouled Elijah McCadden who after making the first free throw attempt missed the second one.

Khalyl Waters grabbed the rebound with six seconds to play and raced down the court, heaving a deep 3-pointer that came up short.

Woods' 23 points led all scorers. The freshman was joined in double-figures by Williams (11 points, 9 rebounds) and Wasters (12 points, 9 rebounds and four steals). Waters' nine rebounds tie his career-best, while the four steals are a new career-high.

Bryant (12 points) and Kamari Brown (12 points) were the only Georgia Southern players to reach double-figures.

Troy returns to action Saturday afternoon for the series finale against the Eagles. Tip-off from Hanner is set for 2 p.m. Central.

HEAD COACH SCOTT CROSS:
"Our guys battled tonight. Due to injury, we're now down to just seven healthy scholarship players. Nick is the heart and soul of our team, and our toughness. Not having him basically at all tonight really hurt us. We had to Christian [Turner] to the five and Khalyl to the four at time. Khalyl hasn't played there at all in practice. That's what happens in college basketball. Guys get injured. The guys that were healthy battled and played as hard as they could. We had a chance to win the game but couldn't quite get stops down the stretch. It's an unfortunate loss but I'm proud of our guys for fighting and showing some resilience. Now we're going to really find out what we're made of tomorrow."

On the overtime period:
"That and-one was huge. We already had all of the momentum after coming back down the stretch and then we won the tip and hit a three. The momentum was all in our favor. On their first possession of overtime, we couldn't get a stop. They hit a layup, we foul them, and the momentum completely shifted. In overtime, they made just that one layup, but we put them at the line too much. They were able to drive by us and we fouled them. They made enough free throws and we weren't able to go to the line at all in OT, and we didn't make out shots."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• In addition to losing Stampley early in the contest, Troy played without Antwan Burnett, Lydell Geffrard, Duke Miles, Miles Mendes and Jakevan Leftridge due various injuries.
• Georgia Southern managed just two field goals (a Bryant jumper, and a layup from Boone) the final 11 minutes of action.
• 43 of Southerns' 67 points came from either the foul line (13) or from behind the arc (30).
• The Trojans dropped their third consecutive overtime contest. Troy dropped a pair of overtime contests last season and falls to 0-3 in extra sessions under Cross.
• Woods' 23-points are the most by a Troy true freshman since Jordan Varnado scored 24 points at Seton Hall (Dec. 10, 2015). Teammate Desmond Williams also scored 23 in a game as a true freshman at Georgia State (Feb. 1) a season ago.
• The Alabama product now has two 20-point games this season.
• The freshman ties teammate Desmond Williams for the second-most 20-point games by a true freshman since 2012. Williams' recorded 20 points at Chattanooga before turning in his career-best (23) at Georgia State.
• Varnado and Wesley Person hold the record for most 20-point games by a true freshman over that span. The duo each recorded five.
• After allowing seven triples in the first period, the Trojans allowed just three over the final 25 minutes.
• Woods played the final 34:26 of the contest.