Troy Opens Conference Play With 72-65 Win Over Coastal Carolina

Saturday, December 30

Conway, S.C.

1 p.m.

Troy University

7-6,1-0Sun Belt

Coastal Carolina

3-9,0-1Sun Belt

Troy

Coastal Carolina

Troy Opens Conference Play With 72-65 Win Over Coastal Carolina

12/30/2023 5:09:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

CONWAY, S.C. – The Troy men's basketball team opened its conference slate with a gritty 72-65 road win over Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon at the HTC Center.

Troy (7-6, 1-0 SBC), who got off to a slow start early in the game, used a big second half to propel itself to its first road win of the season.

Coastal Carolina (3-9, 0-1 SBC) jumped out to a 10-point lead a little over eight minutes into the first half, but the Trojans settled in and made it a 33-33 contest going into the halftime break.

Troy opened the second half on an 8-0 run, and thanks to strong free-throw shooting and some timely defense, the Trojans outscored the Chanticleers by seven in the final 20 minutes to head home with a victory.

40 Minute Battle
Troy was without starter and key contributor Thomas Dowd on Saturday, but fellow freshman Myles Rigsby had a career day to help lead Troy to its second consecutive win for the first time this season.

Rigsby had a career-high 20 points and was lights out from distance, going 4-5 from 3-point range. The forward from Fort Worth, Texas, also had three steals, including two down the stretch, which helped the Trojans run away with the victory.

Christyon Eugene kept up his impressive play this season, scoring 20 points on 6-12 shooting. Saturday was Eugene's second consecutive 20-point performance and his fourth on the season.

With Eugene and Rigsby's 20-point performance, it's the first time Troy has had two 20-point scorers in a game since March 4, 2023, against James Madison in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

The Trojans didn't shoot the ball well on Saturday, making just 36.8 percent of its shots and 31 percent from deep. The Chanticleers put together a decent shooting clip of 46.3 percent, but the game was won at the free-throw line. Troy was 91.3 percent (21-23) from the line — its best performance of the season — and Coastal Carolina was 12-25 (48 percent).

For the second consecutive game, Troy protected the ball well, giving it away just ten times on Saturday. In its last two games, Troy has had just 15 total turnovers.

Troy once again won the rebound battle, snagging 38 boards — including 13 offensive rebounds –– compared to the Chanticleers' 32 rebounds.

Thoughts From Coach
Head Coach Scott Cross gave his thoughts following the game:

"Our guys played hard. The bottom line, we just shot the ball a little bit better than they did from the three-point line and free-throw line. I think that was the biggest difference. We did a good job on the boards. Our guys gritted it out, and it's hard to win on the road. It's good to get in the win column on the road.

Myles Rigsby is phenomenal. He played his best game today, and it couldn't have come at a better time. If he didn't do what he did today, we definitely don't win this game. For a long time, he has been one of our best defenders…You put in the work, it's eventually going to pay off."

Up Next
Troy returns home on Thursday for its conference home opener against Old Dominion. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Radio Network.

Conference Opener Notes
• Myles Rigsby scored a career-high 20 points on Saturday. He also knocked down four three-pointers, another career-high.
• Christyon Eugene had his second consecutive 20-point game and his fourth this season. He also led the team with three assists.
• Saturday was Troy's first road win of the season and the first time they have won back-to-back games this season.
• Troy won the rebound battle 38-32. The Trojans have won the rebound battle in 10 of 13 games this season
• Troy moves to 8-9 all-time against Coastal Carolina, including 3-4 on the road.