Troy University Athletics
Monday, November 7
Troy, Ala.
6 p.m.
Troy University
1-0,0-0Sun Belt
87
vs
67
Montevallo
0-0,0-0Gulf South
1
2
F
Montevallo
31
36
67
Troy
34
53
87
Nelson Phillips Explodes in Second Half; Leads Troy to Victory
11/7/2022 9:27:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – A first half that left a lot to be desired for Nelson Phillips quickly turned into a successful debut for the Georgia State transfer in Trojan Arena. At 6-3, Phillips exploded for 17 points in the second to lead Troy to victory, 87-67, over Montevallo on Monday evening.
For the third straight year, the Trojans (1-0) win their season opener as the Falcons fall to 0-2 in the team's exhibition play, with their regular season starting on Friday.
Outside of Phillips's second-half takeover, Duke Miles finished the night with a team-high 18 points on 7-of-12 from the field. Nate Tshimanga was one rebound shy of a double-double as the sophomore finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
Last season's leading scorer for Montevallo, Braxton Bertolette, had his way tonight with a 15-point, eight-rebound performance to lead the Falcons. Te Smith had an efficient night from the field, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6.
Second Half Takeover
Troy held a three-point advantage, 34-31, over Montevallo coming out of the locker room before erupting on an 18-8 run over the next 7:30.
Kieffer Punter got the Trojans started, 1:26 into the first half, with a fastbreak layup through the defense after rejecting Bertolette's shot on the other end, 39-33.
From there, it was Phillips's game as the senior converted back-to-back points from the paint to give Troy its first double-digit lead of the evening, 43-33, with 17:42 remaining in the second.
Phillips expanded his range after that, drilling back-to-back threes to push Troy to a 16-point lead, 51-35, with 16:06 left.
The Warner Robins native continued to tack on the stats to finish the night with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block to propel Troy to a win in its home opener, 87-67.
Slim Margins at Half
The first half had Montevallo battling for the win as the Falcons held the two-point lead, 16-14, 9:11 into the game.
Troy's defense kept the Falcons from extending the advantage past two-point as the offense flipped the script to retake the lead at the 9:10 mark, 18-16, off two-straight buckets from Zay Williams and Miles.
Both teams continued to share blows, with 21 lead changes in the first half. Miles and Tshimanga battled to hold the final lead heading into the half.
First, Miles drove into the paint for the tough bucket, fighting through the contact to draw the foul while converting the bucket. Then, Tshimanga edged Troy up by three as the first-half buzzer blew, 34-31, with his ninth point of the half.
Opening Thoughts from Scott Cross
"The first half was really shaky. The stat sheet became rat poison, and everyone started playing for it. The guys were just really out of character. At the half, we just tried to focus them and get everyone to do their job the way they normally do. We settled down while picking up our intensity in the second half, so we were able to pull away. That was a hard first game, and I'm happy these guys put it together in the second half. This will help prepare us as we move forward. Montevallo's a good team, and they gave us a hard test in our first game."
Season-Opener Stats
• Tshimanga and Lydell Geffrard both converted the first 3-point shot of their career in the victory.
• Troy flipped the script in the second half, going from 34 points on 36.4 from the field to 53 points on 54.8 perfect.
• Four different Trojans scored their first bucket with the program – Phillips (17), Aamer Muhammad (6), Jackson Fields (3) and Kamryn Mitchell (3).
• Despite the 21 lead changes in the first, Troy held the lead 75 percent of the ballgame, including the entirety of the 20-minute second half.
• Muhammad was the critical player for Troy with a team-best plus-23 when he was on the court – second was Williams and Punter at plus-16.
Back-to-Back
The Troy men's basketball program returns to Trojan Arena on Thursday when MUW comes to town for a matchup at 6 p.m.
For the third straight year, the Trojans (1-0) win their season opener as the Falcons fall to 0-2 in the team's exhibition play, with their regular season starting on Friday.
Outside of Phillips's second-half takeover, Duke Miles finished the night with a team-high 18 points on 7-of-12 from the field. Nate Tshimanga was one rebound shy of a double-double as the sophomore finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
Last season's leading scorer for Montevallo, Braxton Bertolette, had his way tonight with a 15-point, eight-rebound performance to lead the Falcons. Te Smith had an efficient night from the field, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6.
Second Half Takeover
Troy held a three-point advantage, 34-31, over Montevallo coming out of the locker room before erupting on an 18-8 run over the next 7:30.
Kieffer Punter got the Trojans started, 1:26 into the first half, with a fastbreak layup through the defense after rejecting Bertolette's shot on the other end, 39-33.
From there, it was Phillips's game as the senior converted back-to-back points from the paint to give Troy its first double-digit lead of the evening, 43-33, with 17:42 remaining in the second.
Phillips expanded his range after that, drilling back-to-back threes to push Troy to a 16-point lead, 51-35, with 16:06 left.
The Warner Robins native continued to tack on the stats to finish the night with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block to propel Troy to a win in its home opener, 87-67.
Slim Margins at Half
The first half had Montevallo battling for the win as the Falcons held the two-point lead, 16-14, 9:11 into the game.
Troy's defense kept the Falcons from extending the advantage past two-point as the offense flipped the script to retake the lead at the 9:10 mark, 18-16, off two-straight buckets from Zay Williams and Miles.
Both teams continued to share blows, with 21 lead changes in the first half. Miles and Tshimanga battled to hold the final lead heading into the half.
First, Miles drove into the paint for the tough bucket, fighting through the contact to draw the foul while converting the bucket. Then, Tshimanga edged Troy up by three as the first-half buzzer blew, 34-31, with his ninth point of the half.
Opening Thoughts from Scott Cross
"The first half was really shaky. The stat sheet became rat poison, and everyone started playing for it. The guys were just really out of character. At the half, we just tried to focus them and get everyone to do their job the way they normally do. We settled down while picking up our intensity in the second half, so we were able to pull away. That was a hard first game, and I'm happy these guys put it together in the second half. This will help prepare us as we move forward. Montevallo's a good team, and they gave us a hard test in our first game."
Season-Opener Stats
• Tshimanga and Lydell Geffrard both converted the first 3-point shot of their career in the victory.
• Troy flipped the script in the second half, going from 34 points on 36.4 from the field to 53 points on 54.8 perfect.
• Four different Trojans scored their first bucket with the program – Phillips (17), Aamer Muhammad (6), Jackson Fields (3) and Kamryn Mitchell (3).
• Despite the 21 lead changes in the first, Troy held the lead 75 percent of the ballgame, including the entirety of the 20-minute second half.
• Muhammad was the critical player for Troy with a team-best plus-23 when he was on the court – second was Williams and Punter at plus-16.
Back-to-Back
The Troy men's basketball program returns to Trojan Arena on Thursday when MUW comes to town for a matchup at 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Mont
TROY
FG%
.482
.453
3FG%
.222
.367
FT%
.636
.667
RB
30
41
TO
17
14
STL
6
9
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
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