Troy Completes the Peach State Sweep

Saturday, February 5

Statesboro, Ga.

3 p.m.

Troy University

16-7,7-3Sun Belt

Georgia Southern

11-10,4-6Sun Belt

Troy

Ga. Southern

2/5/2022 7:18:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score BOX SCORE (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

STATESBORO, Ga. - Despite allowing Georgia Southern to claw back and take its first lead with 12:35 remaining, Troy put the punctuation on a 61-52 victory in Hanner Fieldhouse.

Completing the Peach State sweep, Troy (16-7, 6-3 SBC) extends its winning streak to three while ending the Eagles' (11-10, 4-6 SBC) own three-game streak.

Four Trojans finished in double figures (Efe Odigie - 12, Zay Williams - 10, Duke Miles - 11, Kieffer Punter - 11) - the second time in the last three games.

Miles acted as a utility tool, adding a career-high six steals to his resume and a team-high eight assists.

Two players came off the bench and provided double-digit points for the Eagles in Elijah McCadden (13) and Kaden Archie (11). However, 20 turnovers proved to be the downfall of the Georgia Southern comeback.

Battling Through Adversity
The Trojans came out of the half leading by 12 points before giving up four consecutive turnovers - seven in the first seven minutes of the second.

The Eagles took their first lead of the game, 39-37, on a driving layup from Archie with 12:35 remaining after outscoring the Trojans 16-2 to open the second half.

Troy battled through, ending its drought on a free throw from Jakevan Leftridge and a made 3-pointer from Miles to retake the lead, 41-39.

The following nine minutes had Troy build a 14-6 run to extend their lead to double-digits, 55-45, on another shot from behind the arc for Miles - he finished with two.

Despite one last attempt from the Eagles, bringing the difference to only five with 1:20 remaining, the Trojans finished the job, 61-52, to capture their first win in Hanner Fieldhouse since Feb. 19, 2015.

Starting Hot
The Trojans came out of the gates with high efficiency, opening the game on an 11-1 run that included the game's first eight points.

Georgia Southern started the game with three-straight turnovers and shot 0-of-3 before converting its first points of the game on a free throw from Prince Toyambi 3:15 into the half.

After the Eagles brought the Trojan lead to just two off its own 10-2 run that ended with a jumper by McCadden, Troy relaunched its double-digit advantage with 6:49 remaining. The run included back-to-back shots from deep for Punter.

Troy rode that lead into the half, finishing with a 12-point advantage, 35-23, on 44.4 percent shooting from the field.

From Coach Scott Cross
"It was a super gritty game. Our guys played extremely hard with great defense throughout the game. We had that 12-point lead going into halftime and let our guard down a little bit. Georgia Southern's a very tough, defensive team. They're well-coached and make it really hard for you to score."

"It's a great home-court advantage in here. The fans really got them on a roll to take the lead in the second half. Most teams would have folded in that situation, but our guys didn't. They showed a lot of character and resilience, just like they have all year long. We got a couple of defensive stops and were able to pull it out. Just a really great win."

Stats Spotlighted
• Odigie ended the first half with 10 points, marking his 14th game of the season in double figures.
• The Trojans extend their record when leading at the half to 12-0 after entering the locker room up 35-23.
• Kieffer Punter finished the game with 11 points, marking his third-straight game in double-figures off the bench.
• The Trojans controlled much of the game, starting on an 8-0 run to open the ballgame. When the buzzer sounded, Troy held the lead for 36:42 while the Eagles had it for just 0:29.

We're Coming Home
Troy returns home for a date with the Red Wolves of Arkansas State on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Trojan Arena.