Troy Erupts for 96 Points Over MUW

Thursday, November 10

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

2-0,0-0Sun Belt

MUW

0-0,0-0DIII Independent

MUW

Troy

11/10/2022 9:31:00 PM | Basketball (M)

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Eleven players found their way onto the scoreboard as Troy puts on a 96-42 clinic over MUW on Thursday night in Trojan Arena.

The Trojans start their season at 2-0 for the first time since 2016-17. That season, Troy went 22-15 on its way to a Sun Belt Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Four Trojans found their way into double figures in scoring, led by Nelson Phillips with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Christyon Eugene (12), Zay Williams (10) and Aamer Muhammad joined him on a combined 14-of-31 from the field.

Thomas Wright scored nine points in the Owls' exhibition season opener. The team was held to 28.8 percent shooting from the field and 13.3 percent from deep.

Dominant From the Jump
Troy took the lead in the opening minute off a second-chance layup in the paint from Williams, 2-0, and never looked back. By the time the 13:48 mark hit in the first, the Trojans held a double-digit lead, 19-8, off another second-chance layup from Phillips.

Charlie Werner made a slight dent in the Troy lead, bringing it down to 14 after Nate Tshimanga threw a bad pass that ended in the hands of Tyson Smithey. Werner launched a 3-pointer on the other end to put the score at 29-15.

Tshimanga responded with an easy layup in the paint 28 seconds later to open a 30-7 run to end the first half.

In the final 9:04, the Trojans shot 12-of-16, with Tshimanga, Eugene, Phillips, Williams and Darius McNeill contributing to the outpour. On the defensive end, Troy held MUW to 1-of-7 and forced six turnovers.

Lock In to Open the Second
Tshimanga ensured the Trojans stayed locked in, pushing the advantage to 39 points in the second half's opening minute off Muhammad's miss.

The second half continued the first's dominance and peaked on a 9-0 run. Kieffer Punter started it on a deep 2-point shot, and Lydell Geffrard brought it to the top on his second career 3-point bucket after attempting none last season with 13:10 remaining.

Troy's lead reached its summit at 59 when Jackson Fields hit his free throw and gave the Trojans their 96^thpoint. From there, MUW stopped the bleeding to end the game, 96-42.

Winning Thoughts from Scott Cross
"Today was a good win for the program. Our guys came, and we were very explosive in the first half in terms of knocking down shots and getting to the basket. We had a ton of energy throughout the game and limited them to a low shot percentage. It led to us creating a lot of turnovers and steals with our defense. Team chemistry is one of the biggest separators in championship-ready teams and middle-of-the-pack teams. And at our level in the Sun Belt Conference, there isn't much separation, so the team that is the most together is probably going to win the championship. I thought Eugene was the best at facilitating for us tonight. He did a great job getting good shots for his teammates."

First-Ever Matchup Stats
• For the second time in as many games, Troy scored over 50 points in a half. The Trojans scored 59 on 64.7 percent in the first half from the field.
• Troy knew how to draw the whistle in the first half, heading to the line 11 times and making all of them.
• Phillips ended the day with 20 points for the first time in his Troy career and the fourth time in his collegiate career.
• Through the opening two games of the season, Troy has outscored its opponents 183-109.
• Troy dominated in every scoring category, including points from turnovers (32-17), paint (54-16), second chance (19-4), fast break (22-2) and bench (40-21).

Hitting the Road
Troy men's basketball faces a tough test on Monday when they travel for the first time this season to Florida State at 6 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.