Troy University Athletics
Saturday, January 28
Mobile, Ala.
3 p.m.
Troy University
at
South Alabama
Troy Faces Off with In-State Rival South Alabama
1/27/2023 1:46:00 PM | Basketball (M)
MOBILE, Ala. – Rivalry Saturday is next for the Troy men's basketball program as the team prepares to bounce back with a battle against South Alabama in the Mitchell Center, starting at 3 p.m.
Saturday's game is a chance for both sides to add one to the win column after the Trojans (13-9, 5-4 SBC) dropped to a three-way tie for fifth in the Sun Belt standings with a loss to Louisiana. The Jaguars (8-13, 2-7 SBC) have lost four straight to find themselves tied for 12th in the conference – among 14 teams.
Troy hopes to ride the momentum from last season's 77-68 victory over USA into the Mitchell Center as the Jaguars have dominated the previous 10 matchups with seven wins.
Game Information
Location: Mobile, Ala. – Mitchell Center
The Matchup: Troy (13-9, 5-4 SBC) vs. South Alabama (8-13, 2-7 SBC)
When: Saturday, Jan. 28 – 3 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Eight Straight Losses
The Trojans got a slow start against Louisiana and couldn't recover from falling 72-57 for the eighth straight time to the Ragin' Cajuns.
Louisiana jumped to an eight-point lead, 11-3, through the opening 3:48 after Terence Lewis II hit his jump shot in the paint. A bucket by Darius McNeill was followed by an 11-0 run for ULL for the 22-5 lead with 13:20 remaining in the first.
The Ragin' Cajuns opened their lead to as many as 26 with 3:48 left in the first. But Troy slowly chipped back, bringing the deficit down to 14, 65-51, when Zay Williams banged in a triple with 4:48 on the clock.
In the end, Troy fell after allowing ULL to shoot 48.3 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from deep and 81.8 percent from the line. Kieffer Punter ended as the leading scorer with 16 points, followed by Christian Turner (12) and Williams (11).
Rivalry Weekend
USA's 2022-23 season sees the team struggling to produce victories since the start. Slated with a demanding non-conference schedule, the Jaguars opened the year 1-3 and managed one win streak of three against Alabama A&M, Spring Hill and Jacksonville State to finish 6-6.
The last four games have been heartbreakers for USA after losing to Louisiana, Southern Miss, Coastal Carolina and Old Dominion by four points or less – combined scores were 306-293. Thursday night saw USA and ODU exchange the lead three times in the final minute, but Isaiah Moore's 19 points wasn't enough.
Besides the deep ball, the Jaguars have struggled to stop their opponents from shooting efficiently, with the 10th-worst field goal percentage allowed at 43.8 percent. However, USA dominates the opposition from the perimeter, allowing an SBC-best 26.1 percent from deep. While being statistically the worst rebounding team in the SBC since conference play started, the Jaguars are elite shot blockers with 4.56 blocks per game.
Moore continues to be USA's top scorer since SBC play began, ranking fifth in the conference with 17.8 points per game. He's also the floor general with the seventh-most assists in the conference at 4.63. In addition, Kevin Samuel is identified as a menace on the defensive end, leading the conference with 3.25 blocks per game and the fifth-most rebounds at 9.3.
Rivalry Stats
• Recent history shows this series is one of runs over the last 13 meetings. The trend began with USA winning back-to-back in 2017. Troy followed it with three straight through 2018, then South captured seven straight from 2019-2022. With the win for Troy last season, the trend shows another in-store come Saturday.
• The last these teams played, the Trojans came away with the victory. Williams (13) and Punter (12) produced double figures in the scoring column.
• Christyon Eugene made his 10th career start on Thursday, while Turner made his 20th. Eugene produced eight points, four rebounds and two assists. Meanwhile, Turner had 12 points, two rebounds and one assist.
• Standing 6-7, Turner scored his third double-digit game of the season and 5th in his career. He's scored 117 points through 22 games after totaling 174 in his first two seasons combined.
• Williams was a one-man wrecking crew against Louisiana, ending the night as the leading passer (three assists), rebounder (nine rebounds) and shot blocker (two blocks).
• Conference play has shown the Trojans must hold their opponents under 40 percent from the field. When they accomplish this feat, the Trojans sit 5-1 – record is 0-3 when failing to.
• Williams is one point shy from fully taking over for seventh in Troy Division-I program history for career points at 1,059. With his 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting against Louisiana, Williams tied Rob Lewin (00-04) with 1,058 points.
• The Trojans average 16.59 forced turnovers per game through 22 games. They experienced their lowest number of caused turnovers this season with 11 against Louisiana, meaning the Trojans forced double-digit turnovers in every game in 2022-23.
• The rise to the top of the charts for Williams continues in the shot block category. With two blocks against Louisiana, Williams moved two blocks from surpassing Tom Jervis (07-09) for fifth and four from Sammy Sharp (05-07) for fourth with 108 blocks - has 104.
• As a team, the Trojans live and die by the 3-point arc, with the most 3-point attempts in the conference and 64th in the nation – at 24.5 per game. Aamer Muhammad leads Troy with six attempts per game, followed by Nelson Phillips with 4.9.
• Punter scored 16 points against ULL, going 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. Through 22 games, the senior sits first in the Sun Belt Conference and 62nd in the nation with an 85.7 percent from the stripe - shot 84 with 72 makes.
• Williams has played 126 games in his five-year career at Troy. In that time, the senior has averaged 5.7 rebounds, with 6.4 averaged in 2022-23. With 10 games left, Williams must collect 97 rebounds to surpass Jordon Varnado for first in career rebounds in Troy D-I history.
Saturday's game is a chance for both sides to add one to the win column after the Trojans (13-9, 5-4 SBC) dropped to a three-way tie for fifth in the Sun Belt standings with a loss to Louisiana. The Jaguars (8-13, 2-7 SBC) have lost four straight to find themselves tied for 12th in the conference – among 14 teams.
Troy hopes to ride the momentum from last season's 77-68 victory over USA into the Mitchell Center as the Jaguars have dominated the previous 10 matchups with seven wins.
Game Information
Location: Mobile, Ala. – Mitchell Center
The Matchup: Troy (13-9, 5-4 SBC) vs. South Alabama (8-13, 2-7 SBC)
When: Saturday, Jan. 28 – 3 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Eight Straight Losses
The Trojans got a slow start against Louisiana and couldn't recover from falling 72-57 for the eighth straight time to the Ragin' Cajuns.
Louisiana jumped to an eight-point lead, 11-3, through the opening 3:48 after Terence Lewis II hit his jump shot in the paint. A bucket by Darius McNeill was followed by an 11-0 run for ULL for the 22-5 lead with 13:20 remaining in the first.
The Ragin' Cajuns opened their lead to as many as 26 with 3:48 left in the first. But Troy slowly chipped back, bringing the deficit down to 14, 65-51, when Zay Williams banged in a triple with 4:48 on the clock.
In the end, Troy fell after allowing ULL to shoot 48.3 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from deep and 81.8 percent from the line. Kieffer Punter ended as the leading scorer with 16 points, followed by Christian Turner (12) and Williams (11).
Rivalry Weekend
USA's 2022-23 season sees the team struggling to produce victories since the start. Slated with a demanding non-conference schedule, the Jaguars opened the year 1-3 and managed one win streak of three against Alabama A&M, Spring Hill and Jacksonville State to finish 6-6.
The last four games have been heartbreakers for USA after losing to Louisiana, Southern Miss, Coastal Carolina and Old Dominion by four points or less – combined scores were 306-293. Thursday night saw USA and ODU exchange the lead three times in the final minute, but Isaiah Moore's 19 points wasn't enough.
Besides the deep ball, the Jaguars have struggled to stop their opponents from shooting efficiently, with the 10th-worst field goal percentage allowed at 43.8 percent. However, USA dominates the opposition from the perimeter, allowing an SBC-best 26.1 percent from deep. While being statistically the worst rebounding team in the SBC since conference play started, the Jaguars are elite shot blockers with 4.56 blocks per game.
Moore continues to be USA's top scorer since SBC play began, ranking fifth in the conference with 17.8 points per game. He's also the floor general with the seventh-most assists in the conference at 4.63. In addition, Kevin Samuel is identified as a menace on the defensive end, leading the conference with 3.25 blocks per game and the fifth-most rebounds at 9.3.
Rivalry Stats
• Recent history shows this series is one of runs over the last 13 meetings. The trend began with USA winning back-to-back in 2017. Troy followed it with three straight through 2018, then South captured seven straight from 2019-2022. With the win for Troy last season, the trend shows another in-store come Saturday.
• The last these teams played, the Trojans came away with the victory. Williams (13) and Punter (12) produced double figures in the scoring column.
• Christyon Eugene made his 10th career start on Thursday, while Turner made his 20th. Eugene produced eight points, four rebounds and two assists. Meanwhile, Turner had 12 points, two rebounds and one assist.
• Standing 6-7, Turner scored his third double-digit game of the season and 5th in his career. He's scored 117 points through 22 games after totaling 174 in his first two seasons combined.
• Williams was a one-man wrecking crew against Louisiana, ending the night as the leading passer (three assists), rebounder (nine rebounds) and shot blocker (two blocks).
• Conference play has shown the Trojans must hold their opponents under 40 percent from the field. When they accomplish this feat, the Trojans sit 5-1 – record is 0-3 when failing to.
• Williams is one point shy from fully taking over for seventh in Troy Division-I program history for career points at 1,059. With his 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting against Louisiana, Williams tied Rob Lewin (00-04) with 1,058 points.
• The Trojans average 16.59 forced turnovers per game through 22 games. They experienced their lowest number of caused turnovers this season with 11 against Louisiana, meaning the Trojans forced double-digit turnovers in every game in 2022-23.
• The rise to the top of the charts for Williams continues in the shot block category. With two blocks against Louisiana, Williams moved two blocks from surpassing Tom Jervis (07-09) for fifth and four from Sammy Sharp (05-07) for fourth with 108 blocks - has 104.
• As a team, the Trojans live and die by the 3-point arc, with the most 3-point attempts in the conference and 64th in the nation – at 24.5 per game. Aamer Muhammad leads Troy with six attempts per game, followed by Nelson Phillips with 4.9.
• Punter scored 16 points against ULL, going 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. Through 22 games, the senior sits first in the Sun Belt Conference and 62nd in the nation with an 85.7 percent from the stripe - shot 84 with 72 makes.
• Williams has played 126 games in his five-year career at Troy. In that time, the senior has averaged 5.7 rebounds, with 6.4 averaged in 2022-23. With 10 games left, Williams must collect 97 rebounds to surpass Jordon Varnado for first in career rebounds in Troy D-I history.
Players Mentioned
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