Troy University Athletics
Saturday, December 10
Troy, Ala.
4:30 p.m.
Troy University
7-4,0-0Sun Belt
87
vs
64
Tennessee Tech
3-7,0-0OVC
1
2
F
Tennessee Tech
30
34
64
Troy
43
44
87
Four Score in Double Figures to Lead Troy Past Tennessee Tech, 87-64
12/10/2022 8:02:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – The Troy men's basketball team returns to the win column after dominating the points in the paint to cruise to the 87-64 victory over Tennessee Tech Saturday night at Trojan Arena.
The Trojans (7-4) snapped a three-game losing streak and continued their 4-0 start at home, while the Golden Eagles (3-7) dropped their fourth game in a row.
Four Trojans finished in double figures on the way to the 23-point win, with Christyon Eugene as the leading scorer (17) on 6-of-9 shooting. Zay Williams (15), Kieffer Punter (12) and Nelson Phillips (13) also ended in double digits, combining for 65.5 percent of Troy's points.
Ty Perry and Brett Thompson tried their heroics but to no avail, ending at 13 points apiece on a combined 9-of-20 shooting. Jayvis Harvey came off the bench for 12 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes.
Over Before It Started
Tennessee Tech got a quick start, opening on a 6-0 run in the first minute with back-to-back 3-pointers from Perry and Jaylen Sebree.
Phillips finally broke through for Troy with a layup through the defense, 2-6. The following possession saw Punter intercept the ball from Thompson, leading to a layup from Williams with 18:09 left in the first, 4-6.
Those two possessions opened the gates, allowing a 15-0 run for the Trojans. The run continued on a make from deep for Phillips for Troy's first lead, 7-6, at the 2:39 mark.
Things went from bad to worse for the Golden Eagles because Troy couldn't miss. When they did, a player was there for the offensive rebound. Muhammad capped off the 15-0 run after three-straight misses and offensive rebounds led to a wide-open bucket with 13:37 remaining in the first.
Finishing Touch
Troy held a comfortable 43-30 lead coming out of halftime, but the Golden Eagles started the second swinging. Through the opening five minutes of the second, Tennessee Tech dropped the deficit to eight after Diante Wood drilled a shot outside the paint, 51-43, with 14:40 remaining.
Both sides traded blows before Troy started to gain control when Christian Turner knocked down his first shot at the charity stripe, 68-54, with 8:22 left. This opened a small 9-3 run, ending on a jump shot from Darius McNeill to propel Troy to a 20-point lead, 77-57, with 3:50 left.
A four-point swing from the Golden Eagles courtesy of Grant Strong and Wood brought Troy's lead down to 16, 79-63, at the 17:04 mark.
Muhammad put that to rest with his ninth point of the game after Jackson Fields dished the assist for the dagger in the paint, 81-63, with 2:36 remaining. Troy finished on a 6-1 run in the remaining time to finish with the win, 87-64.
Back Home Thoughts for Scott Cross
"This was a great overall win for us—one of our best all-around performances all year. There are obviously still things we need to clean up and get better defensively. But I felt like our guys kept their foot on the gas pedal. We've had a trend where we play a good first half, and then we go through a low point in the second half, but our guys were able to extend the lead. I'm most proud of the fact that we had 17 assists with only nine turnovers and 11 steals compared to nine turnovers which says a lot about our defense. We got guys flying around and creating havoc. Then to shoot 57 percent shows we were being unselfish and making our teammates better—great overall team victory for our guys. We are looking forward to our next opportunity at Southeast Louisiana, which got us last year at home. So, we owe them a little revenge."
Troy Numbers
• Eugene scored 13 points in the first half to become the first player in double figures. The junior guard has scored in double figures in eight games this season.
• Troy dominated the paint defensively, keeping Tennessee Tech from scoring a single dunk.
• Troy shot exceptionally efficiently from the field, ending at 57.6 percent for the second-best field goal percentage of the season.
• Troy capitalized on 11 steals and two blocks to score 24 points off turnovers and 29 points on the fastbreak.
• Troy dominated the points in the paint, outscoring the Golden Eagles 52-32.
• Williams moved to 10th all-time and fourth in Division-I Troy program history for rebounds at 645, passing Jeff Black (1993-97)
See You Next Week
The Trojans get a week off before hitting the road to Southeast Louisiana, with tip-off set for 1 p.m. at the University Center.
The Trojans (7-4) snapped a three-game losing streak and continued their 4-0 start at home, while the Golden Eagles (3-7) dropped their fourth game in a row.
Four Trojans finished in double figures on the way to the 23-point win, with Christyon Eugene as the leading scorer (17) on 6-of-9 shooting. Zay Williams (15), Kieffer Punter (12) and Nelson Phillips (13) also ended in double digits, combining for 65.5 percent of Troy's points.
Ty Perry and Brett Thompson tried their heroics but to no avail, ending at 13 points apiece on a combined 9-of-20 shooting. Jayvis Harvey came off the bench for 12 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes.
Over Before It Started
Tennessee Tech got a quick start, opening on a 6-0 run in the first minute with back-to-back 3-pointers from Perry and Jaylen Sebree.
Phillips finally broke through for Troy with a layup through the defense, 2-6. The following possession saw Punter intercept the ball from Thompson, leading to a layup from Williams with 18:09 left in the first, 4-6.
Those two possessions opened the gates, allowing a 15-0 run for the Trojans. The run continued on a make from deep for Phillips for Troy's first lead, 7-6, at the 2:39 mark.
Things went from bad to worse for the Golden Eagles because Troy couldn't miss. When they did, a player was there for the offensive rebound. Muhammad capped off the 15-0 run after three-straight misses and offensive rebounds led to a wide-open bucket with 13:37 remaining in the first.
Finishing Touch
Troy held a comfortable 43-30 lead coming out of halftime, but the Golden Eagles started the second swinging. Through the opening five minutes of the second, Tennessee Tech dropped the deficit to eight after Diante Wood drilled a shot outside the paint, 51-43, with 14:40 remaining.
Both sides traded blows before Troy started to gain control when Christian Turner knocked down his first shot at the charity stripe, 68-54, with 8:22 left. This opened a small 9-3 run, ending on a jump shot from Darius McNeill to propel Troy to a 20-point lead, 77-57, with 3:50 left.
A four-point swing from the Golden Eagles courtesy of Grant Strong and Wood brought Troy's lead down to 16, 79-63, at the 17:04 mark.
Muhammad put that to rest with his ninth point of the game after Jackson Fields dished the assist for the dagger in the paint, 81-63, with 2:36 remaining. Troy finished on a 6-1 run in the remaining time to finish with the win, 87-64.
Back Home Thoughts for Scott Cross
"This was a great overall win for us—one of our best all-around performances all year. There are obviously still things we need to clean up and get better defensively. But I felt like our guys kept their foot on the gas pedal. We've had a trend where we play a good first half, and then we go through a low point in the second half, but our guys were able to extend the lead. I'm most proud of the fact that we had 17 assists with only nine turnovers and 11 steals compared to nine turnovers which says a lot about our defense. We got guys flying around and creating havoc. Then to shoot 57 percent shows we were being unselfish and making our teammates better—great overall team victory for our guys. We are looking forward to our next opportunity at Southeast Louisiana, which got us last year at home. So, we owe them a little revenge."
Troy Numbers
• Eugene scored 13 points in the first half to become the first player in double figures. The junior guard has scored in double figures in eight games this season.
• Troy dominated the paint defensively, keeping Tennessee Tech from scoring a single dunk.
• Troy shot exceptionally efficiently from the field, ending at 57.6 percent for the second-best field goal percentage of the season.
• Troy capitalized on 11 steals and two blocks to score 24 points off turnovers and 29 points on the fastbreak.
• Troy dominated the points in the paint, outscoring the Golden Eagles 52-32.
• Williams moved to 10th all-time and fourth in Division-I Troy program history for rebounds at 645, passing Jeff Black (1993-97)
See You Next Week
The Trojans get a week off before hitting the road to Southeast Louisiana, with tip-off set for 1 p.m. at the University Center.
Team Stats
TNTech
TROY
FG%
.444
.576
3FG%
.235
.316
FT%
.706
.765
RB
32
30
TO
19
9
STL
4
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Basketball (M)
F
/ Basketball (M)
G
/ Basketball (M)G
/ Basketball (M)G
/ Basketball (M)
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/ Basketball (M)F
/ Basketball (M)Behind the Wall - S10, E3
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