Troy University Athletics
Tuesday, December 19
Oxford, Miss
6 p.m.
Troy University
5-6,0-0Sun Belt
53
at
74
Ole Miss
11-0,0-0SEC
1
2
F
Troy
22
31
53
Ole Miss
31
43
74
Men’s Basketball Struggles Offensively, Falls to Ole Miss 74-53
12/19/2023 9:52:00 PM | Basketball (M)
OXFORD, MISS. — The Troy men's basketball team was unable to generate any offensive rhythm and struggled to slow down the physical play of No. 25 Ole Miss, as it fell 74-53 at the SJB Pavilion on Tuesday night.
Troy (5-6) was 17-47 (36.2 percent) from the field — including 8-28 in the first half — and could not pick up the big stops needed against the Ole Miss (11-0) offense.
The Trojans did themselves no favors, turning the ball over 25 times, resulting in 32 points off turnovers for the Rebels. The 25 turnovers are a new season high, and the third time this season Troy has turned it over 23 or more times. It was the worst assist-to-turnover margin this season at minus-14 (11 assists and 25 turnovers). The Trojans had only nine points off turnovers compared to the Rebels 32.
Early on it appeared the game was headed towards a defensive slugfest, as Troy was 3-13 from the field and Ole Miss was 3-12 from the field in the first 10 minutes.
Troy shot it better in the second half — 47.4 percent — but it wasn't enough to get back into the game. Overall, it was the second-worst shooting performance for Troy this season (33.8 percent at Oregon State). The 21-point deficit is the biggest margin of defeat this season.
Tayton Conerway led the way for Troy with a team-high 13 points on 5-7 shooting. Aamer Muhammad was the other lone Trojan in double figures, scoring 11 points. Christyon Eugene, who had scored in double-digits in every game this season, finished with nine points.
Ole Miss had four players score in double-digits. Matthew Murrell scored a game-high 18 points and had ten steals to complete the double-double.
The Positives
Even in the loss, there were positives that the Trojans can take away from this game. Troy won the rebounding battle — despite a massive height difference — 33-32. Victor Valdes had a team-high six rebounds.
Troy continued to get great production from its depth pieces, outscoring Ole Miss 22-6 off the bench. Conway's 13 points came off the bench.
Improved free-throw shooting was once again on display, as Troy shot 11-14 from the charity stripe. That was an area of struggle for the Trojans early in the season.
Thoughts from Coach
Head coach Scott Cross gave his thoughts following the game:
"If you take out our points off turnovers and their points off turnovers, we win 44-42. You're just not going to come in on the road and beat a ranked team turning the ball over 25 times. I thought our half-court defense was much improved. I thought we did some really good things. You can't shoot yourself in the foot. I thought we didn't give up as many easy buckets, so I do feel like we took a step in the right direction there. We shot the ball well from the three-point line against one of the best defensive teams in the country. We didn't do a very good job scoring inside the three-point line, but they've got a 7-5 guy that sits there and alters a lot of shots. We got a quick turnaround. We've got a five to six-hour bus ride back, and then we play on Thursday."
Up Next
Troy closes out its non-conference schedule at home on Thursday night as they take on Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m. It's the second meeting between the two teams this season. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Radio Network.
Game 11 Notes
• Tayton Conerway led the Trojans in scoring with 13 points.
• Christyon Eugene failed to score in double-figures for the first time this season. He scored nine points.
• Troy turned the ball over a season-high 25 times.
• The Trojans are still winless on the road, going 0-5 in non-conference road games this season. Troy has also yet to win back-to-back games this season.
• Troy outrebounded Ole Miss 33-32.
• All 14 of Troy's free throws came in the second half of the game. The Trojans were 11-14 from the line.
• The 21-point loss is the largest margin of defeat this season for Troy.
Troy (5-6) was 17-47 (36.2 percent) from the field — including 8-28 in the first half — and could not pick up the big stops needed against the Ole Miss (11-0) offense.
The Trojans did themselves no favors, turning the ball over 25 times, resulting in 32 points off turnovers for the Rebels. The 25 turnovers are a new season high, and the third time this season Troy has turned it over 23 or more times. It was the worst assist-to-turnover margin this season at minus-14 (11 assists and 25 turnovers). The Trojans had only nine points off turnovers compared to the Rebels 32.
Early on it appeared the game was headed towards a defensive slugfest, as Troy was 3-13 from the field and Ole Miss was 3-12 from the field in the first 10 minutes.
Troy shot it better in the second half — 47.4 percent — but it wasn't enough to get back into the game. Overall, it was the second-worst shooting performance for Troy this season (33.8 percent at Oregon State). The 21-point deficit is the biggest margin of defeat this season.
Tayton Conerway led the way for Troy with a team-high 13 points on 5-7 shooting. Aamer Muhammad was the other lone Trojan in double figures, scoring 11 points. Christyon Eugene, who had scored in double-digits in every game this season, finished with nine points.
Ole Miss had four players score in double-digits. Matthew Murrell scored a game-high 18 points and had ten steals to complete the double-double.
The Positives
Even in the loss, there were positives that the Trojans can take away from this game. Troy won the rebounding battle — despite a massive height difference — 33-32. Victor Valdes had a team-high six rebounds.
Troy continued to get great production from its depth pieces, outscoring Ole Miss 22-6 off the bench. Conway's 13 points came off the bench.
Improved free-throw shooting was once again on display, as Troy shot 11-14 from the charity stripe. That was an area of struggle for the Trojans early in the season.
Thoughts from Coach
Head coach Scott Cross gave his thoughts following the game:
"If you take out our points off turnovers and their points off turnovers, we win 44-42. You're just not going to come in on the road and beat a ranked team turning the ball over 25 times. I thought our half-court defense was much improved. I thought we did some really good things. You can't shoot yourself in the foot. I thought we didn't give up as many easy buckets, so I do feel like we took a step in the right direction there. We shot the ball well from the three-point line against one of the best defensive teams in the country. We didn't do a very good job scoring inside the three-point line, but they've got a 7-5 guy that sits there and alters a lot of shots. We got a quick turnaround. We've got a five to six-hour bus ride back, and then we play on Thursday."
Up Next
Troy closes out its non-conference schedule at home on Thursday night as they take on Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m. It's the second meeting between the two teams this season. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Radio Network.
Game 11 Notes
• Tayton Conerway led the Trojans in scoring with 13 points.
• Christyon Eugene failed to score in double-figures for the first time this season. He scored nine points.
• Troy turned the ball over a season-high 25 times.
• The Trojans are still winless on the road, going 0-5 in non-conference road games this season. Troy has also yet to win back-to-back games this season.
• Troy outrebounded Ole Miss 33-32.
• All 14 of Troy's free throws came in the second half of the game. The Trojans were 11-14 from the line.
• The 21-point loss is the largest margin of defeat this season for Troy.
Team Stats
TROY
OM
FG%
.362
.458
3FG%
.364
.417
FT%
.786
.667
RB
33
32
TO
25
14
STL
8
16
Game Leaders
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
5
FGM
0
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
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/ Basketball (M)G
/ Basketball (M)
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