Troy Secures a First Round Bye with Win Over UT-Arlington

Wednesday, February 23

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

19-9,10-5Sun Belt

UT Arlington

11-16,7-9Sun Belt

UT Arlington

Troy

Troy Secures a First Round Bye with Win Over UT-Arlington

2/23/2022 9:51:00 PM | Basketball (M)

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. - Winning the rebound battle, 46-23, including 16 on the offensive end, Troy avenges its New Year's Day loss against UT-Arlington with a 59-53 victory in Trojan Arena.

Completing their 19th win of the season, the Trojans (19-9, 10-5 SBC) have secured a top-four spot in the conference tournament, guaranteeing a first-round bye.

A pair of Williams led Troy to the victory as Zay Williams finished with a team-high 15 points and six rebounds while Desmond Williams had 11 points - all came in the second half.

David Azore continues his pursuit of a scoring title with 24 points on 7-of-17 from the field. Nicolas Elame followed Azore for the Mavericks (11-16, 7-9 SBC) with 17 points, shooting 8-of-13.

The "Williams" Run
Troy found itself down by three, 48-45, with 5:04 left in the game on a 3-point make from Carson Bischoff after Christyon Eugene turned the ball over on a bad pass.

Following a media timeout with 3:48 remaining, Zay Williams put up a prayer from deep, converting and tying the score, 48-48.

Desmond Williams followed it up with a make from behind the arc of his own, nailing one with a hand in his face to give Troy the lead, 51-48, at the 18:00 mark.

After Azore failed to convert, Zay Williams returned on the other end, dropping two more on a turnaround fade to keep the Trojan run going, 53-48, with 1:12 left.

The remaining minute consisted of free throws with only 3-of-11 points coming from the field on either side as Troy clinched its 19th victory.

Spread the Wealth
Troy returned to its depth identity in the first half, having four players (Zay Williams - 6, Nick Stampley -5, Eugene - 5, TK Smith - 5) contributing five or more points.
Javon Levi drove in and converted an easy make to put the Mavericks up by one, 21-20, with 3:05 left in the first.

The following play saw Zay Williams spark an 8-0 run after drilling his first make from deep just 28 seconds later.

Punter was the second Trojan to be involved, converting a wide-open make from three with 1:44 left on a second-chance opportunity created by Odigie.

Odigie finished the run, putting Troy up seven, 28-21, with 1:14 remaining in the first after taking the dish from Zay Williams.

Into the Mind of Coach Cross
"It was a very ugly basketball game. Both teams battled hard defensively. UTA played with a ton of effort. They did get us a little bit out of sync offensively. To have 22 turnovers is probably a season-high for us, so they were very disruptive."

"I think we won the game on the glass. To have 46 rebounds in a game and outrebound them by 20-plus is why we were able to pull this one out. It was a hard-fought win. To be able to win a game when you don't shoot a high percentage and have 22 turnovers is a credit to our guys. It's really amazing that our guys have put ourselves in this position."

Revenge Statistics
• With this win, Coach Scott Cross claimed his first victory over his former school at Trojan Arena.
• Troy overcame a rough night controlling the ball, tying a season-high 22 turnovers.
• Odigie played off the bench for the first time since Mercer on December 22, 2021, contributing a team-high 10 rebounds and five points.
• With its 19th win, Troy is just one win away from its first 20-win season since 2009-10.

Regular Season Finale
Troy concludes its regular season on Friday at 8 p.m., welcoming Texas State into Trojan Arena on ESPN 2.