Troy University Athletics
Wednesday, December 21
Troy, Ala.
6 p.m.
Troy University
8-5,0-0Sun Belt
79
vs
82
Mercer
7-6,0-0SoCon
1
2
F
Mercer
41
41
82
Troy
32
47
79
Trojans Fall Short to End Non-Conference Play
12/21/2022 8:53:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – For the first time this season, Troy falls in Trojan Arena, 82-79, to Mercer after falling short in the closing minutes on Wednesday evening.
A two-game win streak is snapped for the Trojans as their non-conference schedule ends at 8-5. The Bears (7-6) secure their first win at Troy since 1999 to conclude back-to-back wins.
A 20-point performance for Zay Williams came close to a double-double with nine rebounds in 37 minutes played. Christyon Eugene made the most of his first start of the season, finishing with 19 points and four assists.
Jalyn McCreary showed his dominance with 22 points on 8-of-14 from the field. He also tacked on three assists and nine rebounds. Kamar Robertson came off the bench to produce 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Pivotal Four Minutes
Jackson Fields brought the Trojans back within a possession with 14:00 remaining after banging in the deep ball off the assist from Williams, 53-52.
McCreary took over for back-to-back buckets in the paint to extend the Bears' lead to five, 57-52, at the 7:35 mark of the second.
Christian Turner put two points on the board for Troy at the charity stripe before the Mercer run continued by McCreary. The 6-8 forward drove into the lane for the slam with 10:14 left, 59-54.
A bucket from Jah Quinones kept the run going off a turnover by Kieffer Punter. The next possession saw Robertson capitalize off a steal by James Glisson III for the and-one conversion, extending Mercer's lead to double-digits, 64-54, with 8:55 remaining.
Despite a 6-0 run by Troy in the closing 0:21 to bring the deficit to three, 82-79, the Mercer Bears found their first win in Trojan Arena.
Zay Williams Goes Off
From the tip-off, Williams was winning on the scoreboard. 0:18 into the ballgame, the senior, took the pass from Turner to put the Trojans on the scoreboard first, 2-0.
Williams wasn't done after a basket by Mercer, taking the assist from Eugene from behind the arc and retaking the lead, 5-2 – 18:56 left in the first.
The following possession saw Punter with the ball with 17:44 left on the clock. Punter dished the ball inside to Williams, who let out a hook shot for his seventh straight point, 7-4.
McNeill wanted in on the fun, dribbling inside for the layup. The UTSA transfer missed the shot, but Williams was there for the putback layup, 9-6, to open the game with nine straight on 4-of-4 from the field at the 2:32 mark.
Hear From Cross
"It was very disappointing, especially on the defensive end of the floor. To give up 82 points on your home court, you're not going to win games that way. To have a team shoot 57 percent from the floor, you're not going to win games that way. We preach defense constantly to our guys, but we just didn't have enough grittiness or toughness tonight. We got to do a better job as a staff. I have to do a better job getting our guys tougher. I feel like we made enough baskets and enough shots to win a basketball game, but ultimately, we must do a better job. Two games in a row, we've gotten outrebounded and given up a high percentage of shots. We haven't gotten enough steals and done enough to win games. We need some guys to step up and be those gritty, tough guys. It's on me. I got to do a better job. Mercer did a great job offensively, but we got to get back to work. It's not going to be any easier in the Sun Belt Conference, so we got to get better.
Check These Numbers
• Williams opened hot from the field, scoring the Trojans opening nine points on 4-of-4 shooting. The forward finished the first half with 14 points and five rebounds.
• Eugene made his first start of the season, playing 34 minutes – made his second career start.
• For the eighth consecutive game, "Spudd" scored in double figures after netting a 3-pointer to open the second half – finished with 19 points.
• Troy allowed Mercer to shoot an opponent-high 56.6 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from deep.
• McNeill started his fourth game in a row for Troy, finishing with a career-high at Troy with 17 points – overall career high is 30 while playing for Cal.
Let Conference Play Begin
The Trojans head to Hattiesburg, Miss., to open conference play after Christmas break at the Reed Green Coliseum on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.
A two-game win streak is snapped for the Trojans as their non-conference schedule ends at 8-5. The Bears (7-6) secure their first win at Troy since 1999 to conclude back-to-back wins.
A 20-point performance for Zay Williams came close to a double-double with nine rebounds in 37 minutes played. Christyon Eugene made the most of his first start of the season, finishing with 19 points and four assists.
Jalyn McCreary showed his dominance with 22 points on 8-of-14 from the field. He also tacked on three assists and nine rebounds. Kamar Robertson came off the bench to produce 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Pivotal Four Minutes
Jackson Fields brought the Trojans back within a possession with 14:00 remaining after banging in the deep ball off the assist from Williams, 53-52.
McCreary took over for back-to-back buckets in the paint to extend the Bears' lead to five, 57-52, at the 7:35 mark of the second.
Christian Turner put two points on the board for Troy at the charity stripe before the Mercer run continued by McCreary. The 6-8 forward drove into the lane for the slam with 10:14 left, 59-54.
A bucket from Jah Quinones kept the run going off a turnover by Kieffer Punter. The next possession saw Robertson capitalize off a steal by James Glisson III for the and-one conversion, extending Mercer's lead to double-digits, 64-54, with 8:55 remaining.
Despite a 6-0 run by Troy in the closing 0:21 to bring the deficit to three, 82-79, the Mercer Bears found their first win in Trojan Arena.
Zay Williams Goes Off
From the tip-off, Williams was winning on the scoreboard. 0:18 into the ballgame, the senior, took the pass from Turner to put the Trojans on the scoreboard first, 2-0.
Williams wasn't done after a basket by Mercer, taking the assist from Eugene from behind the arc and retaking the lead, 5-2 – 18:56 left in the first.
The following possession saw Punter with the ball with 17:44 left on the clock. Punter dished the ball inside to Williams, who let out a hook shot for his seventh straight point, 7-4.
McNeill wanted in on the fun, dribbling inside for the layup. The UTSA transfer missed the shot, but Williams was there for the putback layup, 9-6, to open the game with nine straight on 4-of-4 from the field at the 2:32 mark.
Hear From Cross
"It was very disappointing, especially on the defensive end of the floor. To give up 82 points on your home court, you're not going to win games that way. To have a team shoot 57 percent from the floor, you're not going to win games that way. We preach defense constantly to our guys, but we just didn't have enough grittiness or toughness tonight. We got to do a better job as a staff. I have to do a better job getting our guys tougher. I feel like we made enough baskets and enough shots to win a basketball game, but ultimately, we must do a better job. Two games in a row, we've gotten outrebounded and given up a high percentage of shots. We haven't gotten enough steals and done enough to win games. We need some guys to step up and be those gritty, tough guys. It's on me. I got to do a better job. Mercer did a great job offensively, but we got to get back to work. It's not going to be any easier in the Sun Belt Conference, so we got to get better.
Check These Numbers
• Williams opened hot from the field, scoring the Trojans opening nine points on 4-of-4 shooting. The forward finished the first half with 14 points and five rebounds.
• Eugene made his first start of the season, playing 34 minutes – made his second career start.
• For the eighth consecutive game, "Spudd" scored in double figures after netting a 3-pointer to open the second half – finished with 19 points.
• Troy allowed Mercer to shoot an opponent-high 56.6 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from deep.
• McNeill started his fourth game in a row for Troy, finishing with a career-high at Troy with 17 points – overall career high is 30 while playing for Cal.
Let Conference Play Begin
The Trojans head to Hattiesburg, Miss., to open conference play after Christmas break at the Reed Green Coliseum on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.
Team Stats
Mercer
TROY
FG%
.566
.483
3FG%
.533
.292
FT%
.778
.778
RB
30
24
TO
14
9
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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