Troy University Athletics
Troy University
13-9,5-4Sun Belt
Louisiana
17-4,7-2Sun Belt
Trojans Unable to Comeback in the Cajundome
1/26/2023 10:18:00 PM | Basketball (M)
LAFAYETTE, La. –After finding itself down by 24 points through the first half on Thursday night in the Cajundome, Troy men's basketball cannot mount the comeback, resulting in the eighth straight loss against Louisiana, 72-57.
The Trojans (13-9, 5-4 SBC) remain in a tie for fourth in the conference with five other teams, while the Ragin' Cajuns (17-4, 7-2 SBC) sit in first place as they continue their seven-game win streak.
Kieffer Punter erupted in the second half for all his 16 points scored – eight came from the charity stripe on nine attempts. In addition, Christian Turner (12) and Zay Williams (11) produced double figures, as all three accounted for 68.4 percent of Troy's points (39-of-57).
Despite missing out on the Preseason Player of the Year, Jordan Brown, the Cajuns shot 48.3 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from deep and 81.8 percent from the charity stripe. Greg Williams Jr. made up for Brown's absence with 21 points on 9-of-15.
Fell Too Far Behind
The game got out of hand fast for the Trojans when they found themselves down by eight, 11-3 through the 3:48 mark after Terence Lewis II netted his 2-point jump shot from the Themus Fulks assist.
Darius McNeill brought the deficit back to six, 11-5 after he grabbed the defensive rebound and took it down the court for the fastbreak lay-in with 15:25 remaining.
Louisiana responded with an 11-0 run over the next 2:25 that ended when Kobe Julien dished the assist to Williams Jr. and immediately followed it with a 3-point bucket, 22-5.
The remaining 13:20 saw Louisiana hit Troy with everything it had, outscoring the Trojans 19-12 and pushing the lead to as much as 26 off two free throws from Lewis II at the 18:52 mark.
Second Half Turnaround
Troy responded in the second half, trimming the lead slowly with every minute that passed. In the opening six minutes, the Trojans brought it to within 19, 46-27, with 14:33 remaining after Christyon Eugene found Williams down low for the layup.
Williams wasn't done fighting back, hitting again with 5:47 left. A miss by Lewis II in the paint led to a Punter rebound that he brought up the court. The senior found Williams for the two points to bring the deficit to 15, 61-46.
At the 15:49 mark, Lewis II hit his 14th point to extend the lead back to 17, 65-48.
The Trojans wanted to match with a deep bucket. First, Jackson Fields chucked up the deep ball, missing it, but Williams was there for the rebound. He dished it to Eugene, who gave it back for the 3-point basket, which trimmed the deficit to its lowest of 14, 65-51, with 4:58 left.
Both sides went back and forth as the margin remained stagnant. The Trojans got the last laugh as Eugene grabbed the board and posturized the Cajun defender. But it wasn't enough as the Trojans fell to the Ragin' Cajuns, 72-57.
Head Coach Scott Cross
"The second half is the only silver lining. I felt like we didn't even have a heartbeat in the first half. But, in the second half, they played well and competed. We won the second half. But when you get blown out the way we did in the first half, it doesn't really matter. I am glad our guys at least fought back. We did some good things, but Louisiana was the tougher team tonight. There is a reason they are sitting in first place. We've been known to have the best defense on the floor, and they beat us in hustle points. We didn't create turnovers. We have to put this game behind us. We have a rival coming up on Saturday. The goal is to be mentally locked in."
Shining Stats
• Punter and Aamer Muhammad picked it up in the second half scoring all of their 18 combined points after having none in the first.
• With his 11 points tonight, Williams tied Rob Lewin for seventh in Troy Division-I program history in points scored at 1,058.
• Williams was one rebound shy of his 11thcareer double-double, marking the fourth time he's come within one board this season.
• Despite the loss, the Trojans still won the battle in the paint, outscoring the Ragin' Cajuns 38-36 down low.
Rivalry Saturday
The road trip continues for the Trojans on Saturday when the team travels to Mobile to face rival South Alabama at 3 p.m. in the Mitchell Center.
