Troy University Athletics
Saturday, February 12
Troy, Ala.
4 p.m.
Troy University
17-8,8-4Sun Belt
62
vs
66
Little Rock
8-14,3-7Sun Belt
1
2
F
Little Rock
31
35
66
Troy
31
31
62
Troy Upset by Little Rock in 258-Point Game Celebration
2/12/2022 7:33:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. - Allowing 43.5 percent from behind the arc, Troy falls to Little Rock in the "Battle of the Trojans," 66-62, in its first conference loss at Trojan Arena this season.
This loss ends the Trojans' (17-8, 8-4 SBC) four-game winning streak and keeps them eyeing first place in the Sun Belt Conference standings despite a loss by Appalachian State earlier today.
The bench unit shined in the loss, scoring 39 points. Christyon Eugene led the team in scoring with a career-high 14 points, while TK Smith made two shots from deep to finish at 11.
Myron Gardner (13), D.J. Smith (15) and Jovan Stulic (18) all finished in double figures for Little Rock (8-14, 3-7) as the team seized their first conference road win.
The Mighty Have Fallen
Troy found itself down by eight, 55-47, with 8:49 remaining after allowing Little Rock to jump on a nine-point run that ended with a fast-break make from Jordan Jefferson off a turnover by Desmond Williams.
Eugene willed Troy to within one point, 55-54, after converting two makes from the field and dishing out a clutch 3-pointer to Smith with 6:30 left in the game.
Little Rock continued to nail shots down the stretch, expanding its lead back out to as much as seven, 62-55, at the 18:40 mark of the second half on a deep make from Isaiah Palermo.
Troy didn't have enough, despite some last-second attempts by Eugene and Smith, falling to Little Rock, 66-62.
Tied at the Half
Little Rock looked like they would run away early, jumping out to a seven-point lead on several occasions.
Stulic used the extra effort to convert a huge second-chance layup with 5:00 remaining in the half to extend the lead to seven, 29-22.
Efe Odigie was sent to the free-throw line the next play, making both to start a 7-0 run that ended with a 3-point bomb from Eugene to tie the ballgame with 4:18 left in the first, 29-29.
Both sides of Trojans contained the other in the remaining four minutes, scoring two points on either side to head into the locker room tied, 31-31.
Statement From Cross
"It's disappointing losing, especially with our 258-celebration today. I wanted nothing more than to get a victory for them. Just so many fans in here, but we just weren't mentally ready. I tried my best before the game to get our guys fired up. They probably looked at that South Alabama and Little Rock score and felt like we were just going to show up and win the basketball game. It doesn't work that way, and that's why they play the games. The Sun Belt Conference is very even, and Little Rock showed that they are a good basketball team. They were tougher than us today. They hit big shots, and our defense was nonexistent. We didn't do the little things that have made us successful."
"Christyon Eugene and 'Spud' played a really good game coming off the bench. Our bench guys did a really good job. They were all in the plus margin in terms of the plus/minus. Our starter guys really struggled, and it just wasn't their night. We got in our heads, and once we started missing shots that they were making, it just snowballed."
Look at The Stats
• Troy is now 1-2 when entering the half tied, finishing the first all knotted up, 31-31.
• Despite the loss, Troy's bench came out to play, scoring 39 bench points compared to Little Rock's 18.
• The Trojans allowed Little Rock to make 10 shots from deep - the first opponent to make 10 or more since Florida on Nov. 28, 2021.
• Christyon Eugene had plenty of career-highs in this game, including the first double-digit game of his career with 14 points.
Boone Bound
Troy will take its final road trip of the season next week, starting at Appalachian State next Thursday with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m. in a battle for the number one seed.
This loss ends the Trojans' (17-8, 8-4 SBC) four-game winning streak and keeps them eyeing first place in the Sun Belt Conference standings despite a loss by Appalachian State earlier today.
The bench unit shined in the loss, scoring 39 points. Christyon Eugene led the team in scoring with a career-high 14 points, while TK Smith made two shots from deep to finish at 11.
Myron Gardner (13), D.J. Smith (15) and Jovan Stulic (18) all finished in double figures for Little Rock (8-14, 3-7) as the team seized their first conference road win.
The Mighty Have Fallen
Troy found itself down by eight, 55-47, with 8:49 remaining after allowing Little Rock to jump on a nine-point run that ended with a fast-break make from Jordan Jefferson off a turnover by Desmond Williams.
Eugene willed Troy to within one point, 55-54, after converting two makes from the field and dishing out a clutch 3-pointer to Smith with 6:30 left in the game.
Little Rock continued to nail shots down the stretch, expanding its lead back out to as much as seven, 62-55, at the 18:40 mark of the second half on a deep make from Isaiah Palermo.
Troy didn't have enough, despite some last-second attempts by Eugene and Smith, falling to Little Rock, 66-62.
Tied at the Half
Little Rock looked like they would run away early, jumping out to a seven-point lead on several occasions.
Stulic used the extra effort to convert a huge second-chance layup with 5:00 remaining in the half to extend the lead to seven, 29-22.
Efe Odigie was sent to the free-throw line the next play, making both to start a 7-0 run that ended with a 3-point bomb from Eugene to tie the ballgame with 4:18 left in the first, 29-29.
Both sides of Trojans contained the other in the remaining four minutes, scoring two points on either side to head into the locker room tied, 31-31.
Statement From Cross
"It's disappointing losing, especially with our 258-celebration today. I wanted nothing more than to get a victory for them. Just so many fans in here, but we just weren't mentally ready. I tried my best before the game to get our guys fired up. They probably looked at that South Alabama and Little Rock score and felt like we were just going to show up and win the basketball game. It doesn't work that way, and that's why they play the games. The Sun Belt Conference is very even, and Little Rock showed that they are a good basketball team. They were tougher than us today. They hit big shots, and our defense was nonexistent. We didn't do the little things that have made us successful."
"Christyon Eugene and 'Spud' played a really good game coming off the bench. Our bench guys did a really good job. They were all in the plus margin in terms of the plus/minus. Our starter guys really struggled, and it just wasn't their night. We got in our heads, and once we started missing shots that they were making, it just snowballed."
Look at The Stats
• Troy is now 1-2 when entering the half tied, finishing the first all knotted up, 31-31.
• Despite the loss, Troy's bench came out to play, scoring 39 bench points compared to Little Rock's 18.
• The Trojans allowed Little Rock to make 10 shots from deep - the first opponent to make 10 or more since Florida on Nov. 28, 2021.
• Christyon Eugene had plenty of career-highs in this game, including the first double-digit game of his career with 14 points.
Boone Bound
Troy will take its final road trip of the season next week, starting at Appalachian State next Thursday with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m. in a battle for the number one seed.
Team Stats
LR
TROY
FG%
.468
.375
3FG%
.435
.273
FT%
.667
.778
RB
28
37
TO
11
13
STL
8
2
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Players Mentioned
G
/ Basketball (M)F
/ Basketball (M)
G
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