Troy Falls in Its Season Finale at Trojan Arena

Friday, February 25

Troy, Ala.

8 p.m.

Troy University

19-10,10-6Sun Belt

Texas State

21-6,12-3Sun Belt

Texas St.

Troy

Troy Falls in Its Season Finale at Trojan Arena

2/26/2022 12:06:00 AM | Basketball (M)

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. - Unable to contain Texas State's shooting on all three levels, Troy falls in its regular-season finale, 61-52 at Trojan Arena.

The Trojans (19-10, 10-5 SBC) set their sights on the post-season, sitting fourth in the standings with a guaranteed first-round bye.

Efe Odigie (19) and Khalyl Waters (14) aimed to will Troy to victory with their double-digit performances - combined for 13-of-21 from the field. Odigie dominated the boards, boosting nine rebounds in the finale.

The Bobcats (21-6, 12-3 SBC) extended their winning streak to nine, shooting 51.2 percent from the field and an impressive 60 percent from behind the arc. Caleb Asberry led the way with 26 points on 8-of-9 from the field.

Not Enough Waters
Troy found itself down by 11, 48-37, with 8:13 remaining in the ballgame after Mason Harrell drilled one from deep to extend the Bobcats' 6-0 run.

Zay Williams tapped in the alley-oop to spark a 9-0 run led by Waters, who controlled the floor scoring seven-straight points for the Trojans to put Troy down just two, 48-46, with 5:19 left.

The Bobcats couldn't miss, going 5-of-5 from the field and 7-of-8 at the line in the final five minutes of the game.

Zay Williams and Kieffer Punter brought Troy back within four, 62-58, after converting one from deep and converting an and-one with 12 seconds remaining.

The Bobcats iced the game in the remaining seconds as Nighael Caesar, and Asberry knocked down all four free throws, ending the game, 66-61.

Efe Have Yourself a First Half
Odigie put on a clinic in the first half, dominating on both the scoring end and on the boards. When the teams went into the locker room, he had 11 points and six rebounds.

Down by six, 19-13, with 6:40 left in the first, Odigie took over, converting an and-one to kick off a 7-0 run scored all by himself.

He followed up his and-one by taking it deep with a long-range 2-pointer off a turnover based on the shot clock to bring Troy within one, 19-18.

The final point on the 7-0 Odigie run came off a huge second-chance opportunity after Nate Tshimanga won the battle on the boards to give Troy the lead, 20-19.

A Coach Cross Mindset
"They hit shots. All the credit goes to them. I thought we played really good defense and played as hard as we could. We scrapped, but at the end of the day, this was a shot-making game. Mason Harrell and Caleb Asberry hit big shots. It was phenomenal. The last six or seven threes they made, we had hands in their faces. You saw it on our guys' faces. It was like a dagger. Our guys just looked and shrugged their shoulders. Hats off to them. That's why they won the championship."

"We're going to need every single one of these guys come tournament time. We got plenty of time to prepare, and I think this is a team that is capable of winning it all."

Finale Stats
• Odigie finished the first half with 11 points, securing his 17th double-digit game of the season - ended a cold spell of two straight without.
• Duke Miles returned to the floor for the first time in 17 days with six points and three assists in 22 minutes of play.
• Troy finishes with 10 wins at Trojan Arena this season, marking the most since the 2016-17 season (10).
• Nick Stampley and Waters started in their final game at Trojan Arena, putting their combined starts at 91.
Tournament Bound
Troy guaranteed itself a bye in the first round of the tournament after their win against UT-Arlington on Wednesday. The Trojans are expected to play either South Alabama or Little Rock in the second round next Saturday.