Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Appalachian State
Troy Hosts App State Saturday Looking to Eclipse Win Total from Last Season
1/7/2022 1:24:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – Troy continues its four-game homestand Saturday with a date against App State inside Trojan Arena at 4 p.m. The Trojans enter the Sun Belt showdown against the Mountaineers winners in six of their last seven games following a 69-59 victory over Coastal Carolina on Thursday.
Troy (11-5, 2-1 SBC) looks to continue its best start since the 2003-04 season and capture its 12th win which would eclipse their win total from last season, with 14 games remaining on the schedule.Â
Home Sweet HomeÂ
Troy enters Saturday's matchup coming off a 69-59 victory over Coastal Carolina on Thursday, ending a six-game skid against the Chanticleers. Down by one at the half, the Trojans outscored Coastal 41-30 in the second to capture the win. Â
Led by Efe Odigie and Jakevan Leftridge in scoring with 13 points apiece, the Trojans shot 40 percent from the field. Leftridge's 13 points marked a career-high for the sophomore on 5-of-7 shooting. Â
Zay Williams contributed his second double-double on the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. All 13 points and seven rebounds were captured in the second half.Â
On the defensive end, the Trojans had five different players grab two steals (Duke Miles, Desmond Williams, Odigie, Zay Williams and Christyon Eugene) – Troy converted 18 Coastal turnovers into 20 points.Â
Watch Us in Action Â
Location: Troy, Alabama – Trojan Arena  Â
The Matchup: Troy (11-5, 1-1 SBC) vs. Appalachian State (8-8, 2-1 SBC)  Â
When: Saturday, January 8 – 4 p.m.  Â
Watch: ESPN+   Â
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network  Â
Live Stats: Troystats.com - gotroy.us/3zyKlOuÂ
Series HistoryÂ
App State leads the series 9-7.Â
Troy enters the matchup on a two-game winning streak over the Mountaineers. Both of those wins came at home in Trojan Arena last season. The Trojans have won three of their last four in the series. Â
The last time these teams faced off, the Trojans won 65-59 behind 19 points from Nick Stampley. Â
Troy captured the lead with 9:56 remaining in the first half on a layup from Christion Turner and never looked back.Â
Up On the MountainsÂ
App State (8-8, 2-1 SBC) is coming off two straight victories to open 2022. In both games, the Mountaineers pulled off eight-point wins over South Alabama and ULM. Â
App's most recent win came against South Alabama, 72-64, on Thursday night in Mobile. CJ Huntley led the way for the Mountaineers with a career-high 20 points as he shot 8-of-16 from the floor and tacked on six rebounds. Â
The Mountaineers have shot 31 percent from 3-point range on the season, converting 8.1 per game, which ranks third in the SBC. Adrian Delph leads App State averaging 16 points per game and ranks third in the SBC. Delph also ranks 19th in rebounding and ninth in field goal percentage at 42.9 percent.Â
Numbers to Keep an Eye OnÂ
• The home team has won 11 of the 15 meetings in the series between the two schools.Â
• Games between the Trojans and Mountaineers have a history of coming down to the wire with the average margin of victory is nine points. In the 16 meetings, 11 were decided by single digits—seven by five or fewer points.Â
• After capturing 11 steals in their win over Coastal, the Trojans rank third in the SBC with 9.1 per game.Â
• The Trojans are in search of their 12th win on the season. This will be the most in Scott Cross' tenure at Troy. It will also tie for the most wins since the 2018-19 season.Â
