Troy University Athletics
Saturday, December 3
Edwardsville, Ill.
2 p.m.
Troy University
6-3,0-0Sun Belt
72
at
78
SIUE
7-2,0-0OVC
1
2
F
Troy
34
38
72
SIUE
41
37
78
Troy Falls Short of Comeback in Edwardsville
12/3/2022 5:48:00 PM | Basketball (M)
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Troy men's basketball team falls for its second straight loss, 78-72, in the program's first-ever meeting with SIU-Edwardsville on Saturday afternoon in the First Community Arena.
The Trojans (6-3) suffer their first losing streak of the season with back-to-back losses on the road, while the Cougars (7-2) extend their win streak to six.
Aamer Muhammad shined in the loss with a team-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Zay Williams (10), Kieffer Punter (11) and Christyon Eugene (10) also finished in double figures in the loss.
Ray'Sean Taylor led the Cougars with a 21-point performance, including nine from the free throw line. Damarco Minor wasn't far behind Taylor, as the guard had 17 points in 37 minutes.
Foul-Outs, Free Throws and Fadeaways
The second half saw the Trojans wrestle their way back into contention, tying the ballgame on multiple occasions. But with everything the Trojans dealt, the Cougars responded with more.
Williams finished a quick 6-0 run for Troy to trim the deficit to one, 65-64, after a four-point play for the Trojans with 4:59 remaining. First, Eugene drove into the lane for the tough layup. Then, a bad pass from Minor led to another bucket by Williams in the paint.
SIUE gave itself some comfort room in the following four minutes until Phillips hit the step-back fadeaway 3-pointer to cut the margin down to one possession, 75-72, with 1:00 left.
Fouls and missed shots kept Troy from doing any more, as Phillips, Darius McNeill and Turner fouled out as the Cougars made their final three free throws to secure the victory, 78-72.
SIUE's Hot Start
Troy looked solid to start, executing for the easy slam by Christian Turner to open the ballgame, 2-0 in the first 0:20.
The Cougars quickly responded with a long-lasting hot start that saw Minor erupt for nine points. Minor opened the 11-2 run with a quick lay-in with 18:06 left in the first.
A layup by Taylor followed up Minor's on a fastbreak by himself after crashing the boards. Minor would finish what he started, responding immediately to Turner's make with a jump shot from outside the paint to push the lead to seven, 11-4, at the 4:54 mark of the first.
The early run forced Troy to play catchup the entire first half, with the lead extending to as much as 12 points before Lydell Geffrard hit a hook shot to close out the first, 41-34.
Cross's Post-Game Thoughts
"We just weren't tough enough late. They were the tougher team, and as I tell them, every game, the toughest team always wins. We didn't do the little things necessary to win. We gave up 17 offensive rebounds. That's not in our DNA. Turning the ball over as much as we did. That's not what we do. We only created 14 turnovers, gave them offensive rebounds and let them hit free throws. We committed too many fouls and allowed them to get to the line 30 times. That's not supposed to happen. We have to be tougher, and we bounce back. We let one slip but all credit to SIUE. They are well-coached and well-disciplined. We got to get back to work. It's a short turnaround, so we have to find a way to win one."
By the Stats
• For the first time this season, every Trojan that checked into the game put multiple points on the board – nine players played.
• Troy remains undefeated at 9-0 after today with the tip-off, with the opening tip going to Williams over Jonathan Kurtas.
• The Trojans fall to 1-3 when they allow their opponent to score 70-plus points in a game – 5-0 when their opponent scores under 70.
• Despite the loss, Troy shot better than the Cougars at the charity stripe (85.7-63.3) and from deep (45.5-42.9) – hit a season-high 85.7 percent from the line.
• Foul players fouled out (Williams, Turner, Phillips and McNeill) after having just one the entire season.
West Coast Swing
The Trojans continue their three-game road trip on the west coast at the Viejas Arena. Here the team battles San Diego State on Monday at 5 p.m.
The Trojans (6-3) suffer their first losing streak of the season with back-to-back losses on the road, while the Cougars (7-2) extend their win streak to six.
Aamer Muhammad shined in the loss with a team-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Zay Williams (10), Kieffer Punter (11) and Christyon Eugene (10) also finished in double figures in the loss.
Ray'Sean Taylor led the Cougars with a 21-point performance, including nine from the free throw line. Damarco Minor wasn't far behind Taylor, as the guard had 17 points in 37 minutes.
Foul-Outs, Free Throws and Fadeaways
The second half saw the Trojans wrestle their way back into contention, tying the ballgame on multiple occasions. But with everything the Trojans dealt, the Cougars responded with more.
Williams finished a quick 6-0 run for Troy to trim the deficit to one, 65-64, after a four-point play for the Trojans with 4:59 remaining. First, Eugene drove into the lane for the tough layup. Then, a bad pass from Minor led to another bucket by Williams in the paint.
SIUE gave itself some comfort room in the following four minutes until Phillips hit the step-back fadeaway 3-pointer to cut the margin down to one possession, 75-72, with 1:00 left.
Fouls and missed shots kept Troy from doing any more, as Phillips, Darius McNeill and Turner fouled out as the Cougars made their final three free throws to secure the victory, 78-72.
SIUE's Hot Start
Troy looked solid to start, executing for the easy slam by Christian Turner to open the ballgame, 2-0 in the first 0:20.
The Cougars quickly responded with a long-lasting hot start that saw Minor erupt for nine points. Minor opened the 11-2 run with a quick lay-in with 18:06 left in the first.
A layup by Taylor followed up Minor's on a fastbreak by himself after crashing the boards. Minor would finish what he started, responding immediately to Turner's make with a jump shot from outside the paint to push the lead to seven, 11-4, at the 4:54 mark of the first.
The early run forced Troy to play catchup the entire first half, with the lead extending to as much as 12 points before Lydell Geffrard hit a hook shot to close out the first, 41-34.
Cross's Post-Game Thoughts
"We just weren't tough enough late. They were the tougher team, and as I tell them, every game, the toughest team always wins. We didn't do the little things necessary to win. We gave up 17 offensive rebounds. That's not in our DNA. Turning the ball over as much as we did. That's not what we do. We only created 14 turnovers, gave them offensive rebounds and let them hit free throws. We committed too many fouls and allowed them to get to the line 30 times. That's not supposed to happen. We have to be tougher, and we bounce back. We let one slip but all credit to SIUE. They are well-coached and well-disciplined. We got to get back to work. It's a short turnaround, so we have to find a way to win one."
By the Stats
• For the first time this season, every Trojan that checked into the game put multiple points on the board – nine players played.
• Troy remains undefeated at 9-0 after today with the tip-off, with the opening tip going to Williams over Jonathan Kurtas.
• The Trojans fall to 1-3 when they allow their opponent to score 70-plus points in a game – 5-0 when their opponent scores under 70.
• Despite the loss, Troy shot better than the Cougars at the charity stripe (85.7-63.3) and from deep (45.5-42.9) – hit a season-high 85.7 percent from the line.
• Foul players fouled out (Williams, Turner, Phillips and McNeill) after having just one the entire season.
West Coast Swing
The Trojans continue their three-game road trip on the west coast at the Viejas Arena. Here the team battles San Diego State on Monday at 5 p.m.
Team Stats
TROY
SIUE
FG%
.431
.481
3FG%
.455
.429
FT%
.857
.633
RB
36
34
TO
17
14
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Basketball (M)
F
/ Basketball (M)
G
/ Basketball (M)G
/ Basketball (M)G
/ Basketball (M)
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/ Basketball (M)F
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