Men’s Basketball Drops Tight Battle to Eastern Kentucky, 77-76

Monday, November 27

Richmond, Ky.

6 p.m.

Troy University

3-4,0-0Sun Belt

Eastern Kentucky

3-2,0-0ASUN

Troy

Eastern Ky.

Men’s Basketball Drops Tight Battle to Eastern Kentucky, 77-76

11/27/2023 9:43:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

RICHMOND, Ky. – After battling back in the second half, Troy men's basketball came up just short against Eastern Kentucky as they fell 77-76 in the Baptist Health Arena on Monday night.

Troy (3-4) struggled out of the gate offensively and after an early Eastern Kentucky (3-2) offensive eruption, the Trojans quickly found themselves down by 10 with 14:46 remaining in the first half.

The Trojan offense started to settle in, and after Myles Rigsby drilled a turnaround jumper, the EKU lead was down to three with just over three minutes left in the half.

The Colonels ended the half on a 5-2 run to bring a 40-34 lead into the break. Troy shot just 30.3 percent in the first half.

In the second half, Troy came alive offensively – especially from beyond the arc. Troy shot a blistering 56.3 percent (9-16) from 3-point range in the final 20 minutes, which helped them get back into it. Despite outscoring EKU 42-37 in the final half, they couldn't quite put it together at both ends in the same stretches. Down by four with 0.9 seconds remaining, Christyon Eugene hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to make it a one-point loss.

Eugene led the way for the Trojans in scoring with 23 points for the second consecutive game. Tayton Conerway was the only other Trojan in double figures with 12. Eugene has scored in double-figures in each of the seven games this season.

The Paint
Many of the game's decisive moments came in or around the paint, and Troy had no answer for EKU's Isaiah Cozart. The big man put together an impressive triple-double consisting of 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks. The Colonels won the block battle 12-2.

EKU outscored Troy in the paint 34-24.

However, Troy won the rebounding battle 49-35 and had 21 offensive rebounds – the most since they had 23 vs Toccoa Falls in 2016. Troy also limited themselves to just 12 turnovers, but EKU capitalized on many of those. The Colonels had 22 points off turnovers compared to Troy's seven.

Thoughts From Coach
"Our guys played hard. We did some good things. I trust the good Lord and his plan, and it's just not our time yet. I challenge each and every person in the locker room afterward to look in the mirror and figure out what each of us – starting with me – can do to help this basketball team. All we got to do is one more stop, one more possession. We're three possessions away from being 6-1 right now, so it's a bad feeling, and it's a sick feeling. But we're a young team, and this team is going to continue to get better. We just have to stay together and continue to grow as a team. I am proud of them for fighting, but not happy with the results. But, when you focus on the result, you don't get better. We've got to focus on the process."

Up Next
Troy returns to Trojan Arena on Friday to take on SIUE. The game – originally scheduled for 6 p.m. – is now set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, broadcast on the Troy Sports Radio Network and live stats will be on Troystats.com.

Game 7 Notes
• Christyon Euegne had his second consecutive 23-point performance on Monday night. He was 8-14 from the field and 5-9 from three.

• Troy's 21 offensive rebounds are the most this season and the most since they had 23 vs Toccoa Falls in 2016.
• Troy had its best game beyond the arc this season at 46.8 percent (13-28). 13 three-pointers is also a season-high for the Trojans.
• Marcus Rigsby Jr. made his first career start on Monday night next to Tayton Conerway. Aamer Muhammad and Christyon Eugene each came of the bench.
• Troy now has three losses by two or fewer points so far this season.