Trojans Topple Power-Five Opponent Florida State

Monday, November 14

Tallahassee, Fla.

7 p.m.

Troy University

3-0,0-0Sun Belt

Florida State

0-3,0-0ACC

Troy

Florida St.

Trojans Topple Power-Five Opponent Florida State

11/14/2022 10:55:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score BOX SCORE (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – For the first time since the 1992-93 season, Troy starts its season 3-0 after taking down power-five opponent Florida State, 79-72 at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center on Monday night.

When the lights shined bright, the Trojans (3-0) took over for their first win over a power-five opponent since Mississippi State, 56-53 for Trojan Arena's debut in 2012.

Aamer Muhammad (23) and Christyon Eugene (22) had a game for the ages, with both players scoring a combined 45 points on 51.8 percent from the field. Eugene took over in the second half, scoring 19 points in the final 22.

Darin Green Jr. fought to propel the Seminoles (0-3) to their first win of the season with 24 points and six rebounds. Cam'Ron Fletcher and Caleb Mills joined him in the fight with 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Pulling Away at the End
Troy pulled away to end the first half, 32-27, after Muhammad nailed his 3-pointer as the clock expired.

The team continued their efforts in the second, peaking at a 10-point lead, 44-34, after Duke Miles scored off a turnover from Jalen Warley 4:09 into the second.

FSU battled back, briefly taking a two-point lead after outscoring the Trojans 16-4 over five minutes. Mills provided the points at the free-throw line with 10:29 remaining.

Eugene immediately responded, driving into the lane to draw the foul for the and-one opportunity. The junior converted the free throw to start a 12-2 run for the Trojans that ended when Christian Turner slammed in the dunk off the assist from Muhammad and a steal from Eugene.

The Trojans held the lead from there. Florida State battled to bring the Troy lead down to three on two occasions, but that was where the momentum ended. Troy hit three-straight daggers to put the game out of reach.

First, Zay Williams nailed a second-chance 3-point shot to push Troy's lead to seven, 71-64, with 1:31 remaining.

Eugene continued the finish, forcing the steal on Warley and scoring on the other end with 1:07 left for the nine points lead, 73-64.

Muhammad finished what he started, pulling up from deep over the Seminole defense for the clutch 3-point shot, 76-64, with 0:34 remaining.

Despite a last-second effort from FSU, Troy nailed 3-of-4 free throws to topple the power-five team, 79-72.

Winning Thoughts from Scott Cross
"I could not be prouder of a group of guys as I am tonight. I have been coaching since 1998, and this is in my top five of the greatest wins that I have been a part of. Our guys set the tone early with our defensive intensity and pressure. We were able to turn Florida State over and create some steals that led to easy baskets on the other end. I told our guys before the game that a great shot is better than a good shot which is better than a bad Shot which is better than no shot. We had 21 more shot attempts than Florida State because of our offensive rebounding and forced turnovers. This has always been a recipe for the successful teams that I have been a part of in the past. Our bench was amazing tonight too. Christyon Eugene may have been the catalyst that propelled us to victory. He was able to get to the basket at will and gave us 22 much-needed points, along with three steals. Christian Turner also did an amazing job defending, rebounding, and doing all the little things that it takes to win a tough basketball game. Aamer Muhammad also made big shot after big shot for us, and he had an outstanding six assists to only one turnover. Kieffer Punter may also be an unsung hero because he didn't lead us in scoring, but he had nine rebounds, six assists, only one turnover, & played outstanding defense too. Zay Williams also played a really solid game on both sides of the floor. We give all glory to the good lord and thank him for this program-defining win. We will continue to work hard and will continue to take the stairs."

Power-Five Numbers
• Troy's victory leads them to its first win over an ACC program since Georgia Tech, 54-50 on Feb. 11, 1981.
• Muhammad and Eugene finished with 20 or more points, marking the first time since Duke Miles and Nick Stampley last season over Georgia Southern on Feb. 6.
• The Trojans continue to be elite from deep, with the team finishing with 12 made shots from behind the arc – second time this season Troy had double-digit 3-pointers.
• The bench came alive over FSU for Troy with 31 points to their nine. Overall, the bench scored 39.3 percent of the points for Troy.
• Muhammad was the man to beat for Troy, finishing with 23 points, six assists, two rebounds and two steals. When he was on the court, Troy was plus-17.

Heading to the Mountains
Troy men's basketball goes from the Sunshine State to the Treasure State of Montana for the UMontana tournament starting Wednesday against Merrick.