Trojans Triumph in First-Ever Matchup with Monarchs

Thursday, January 5

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

10-6,2-1Sun Belt

Old Dominion

9-6,1-2Sun Belt

Old Dominion

Troy

Trojans Triumph in First-Ever Matchup with Monarchs

1/5/2023 9:27:00 PM | Basketball (M)

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – After a couple of silent games from Nelson Phillips, the senior turned it around with a team-high 17 points to secure the victory in Troy's first-ever meeting with Old Dominion, 78-71 on Thursday night in Trojan Arena.

With a second straight conference win, the Trojans find themselves above .500 in SBC play at 2-1 and 10-6 overall. Conversely, the Monarchs (9-6, 1-2 SBC) fall for the second time in the last seven games.

Phillips returned to the top of the charts with a 17-point performance, along with six rebounds and two steals to his credit. Three starters ended the night in double figures, but Zay Williams produced on both ends with 13 points and tied a career-high four blocks.

Tyreek Scott-Grayson had his way with the Trojan defense, becoming the first 30-point performance (31) since Davonte Jones of Coastal Carolina back on Jan. 22, 2021. Scott-Grayson shot 8-of-13 from the field, 5-of-7 from deep and 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.

Phillips with the Dagger
A switch to zone defense allowed the Monarchs to march back into the ballgame. Over five minutes, ODU erased a 13-point lead for Troy with an 11-1 run that ended with 7:22 remaining.

Ben Stanley grabbed the miss by Darius McNeill and immediately passed it to Imo Essien in the lane for the fastbreak bucket, 63-60.

Phillips locked in two possessions later after Bryce Baker turned it over into the hands of Christian Turner. Phillips took it into the lane only to be blocked by Baker. Christyon Eugene was there to grab the miss and give it back to Phillips, who redeemed himself inside to reextend the lead, 65-60, with 6:06 left.

At the 5:21 mark, Phillips got his shot blocked again, only for the ball to end up out of bounds allowing another chance for Troy. Williams converted that second-chance point off the assist from Kieffer Punter, 67-60.

Both ends delivered blows at the free throw line before Phillips secured the game with his second steal of the night. With 1:07 remaining, Phillips swiped the ball from Chaunce Jenkins and darted to the other end with an emphatic slam, 74-68. This possession handed Troy the last-second momentum to win the ballgame, 78-71.

Aamer Muhammad Takes Over
Muhammad had a silent first half with two points in 10 minutes on 1-of-3 from the field. Then, right out of the gates (0:09), the Lubbock Christian transfer pulled up from way outside for his first make of the second, 41-32.

The junior wasn't done, knocking down his second straight tray 0:45 later to push Troy's lead to double figures, 44-34.

A brief back-and-forth battle by ODU, Williams, and Eugene lasted until 15:23 remaining. That's when the 6-1 guard took it down the court, found some space and let it fly for his third straight, 54-42.

Scott-Grayson tried to match with a three of his own off the assist from Jenkins, 54-45. However, Muhammad wasn't finished after Williams missed a 3-point response and Jackson Fields grabbed the offensive rebound. Fields found the New Mexico native behind the arc, and he banged in his fourth in a row to hold Troy's lead at 12, 57-45.

Head Coach Scott Cross
"This is a team I can identify with. We sat here and had this discussion after Mercer. I didn't know what it was, but our guys have gotten back to their roots. I've gotten back to who I am as a coach. I feel confident because I feel like we can get defensive stops. And when you hold a team to 34.5 percent from the field, you're going to have a good chance to win. Still have to be better defensively, rebounding the basketball. We did pick it up late in the second half and held our own. Their zone hurt us and got us out of rhythm. I thought we had the game well in hand, and the zone got them back into the game. Combine that with Aamer having foul trouble and Zay getting his nose dinged up. It was a good learning experience for our guys, and the next time we see the zone, we will be better. That steal and slam by Nelson was the play of the game. He's just so dynamic. The bottom line is that if we play good defense, we will win at home."

SBC Home Opener Stats
• Phillips showed his scoring slump was over early, becoming the only player in double figures after the first half with 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting – last double-digit performance was against Tennessee Tech on Dec. 10.
• Eugene ended the game with 14 points, marking his 12^th time this season. He's scored 10-plus points in nine of the last 10 games.
• With the victory of ODU, the Trojans are 4-2 in their first-ever meetings this season.
• Muhammad exploded to open the second half for his best start to a half all season from behind the arc, shooting 4-of-4 from deep in the first six minutes – finished with 14 points.
• Troy's bench produced once again with 27 points coming from that unit compared to 11 from ODU.
• Williams tied a career-high four blocks set against MUW earlier this season at four.

Back Home Saturday
The two-game homestand finishes on Saturday when the Trojans welcome the Red Wolves of Arkansas State with tipoff set for 4 p.m.