Troy Men’s Basketball Cruises to Victory Over Old Dominion, 86-73

Thursday, January 4

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

8-6,2-0Sun Belt

Old Dominion

4-10,0-2Sun Belt

Old Dominion

Troy

Troy Men’s Basketball Cruises to Victory Over Old Dominion, 86-73

1/4/2024 10:23:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

TROY, Ala. – After opening its conference schedule with a road win, Troy men's basketball rode a strong offensive performance as it defeated Old Dominion 86-73 at Trojan Arena on Thursday night.

Troy (8-6, 2-0 SBC) is off to its first 2-0 start in conference play since the 2009-2010 season when they defeated the University of New Orleans and ULM.

The Trojans also got their first double-double performance of the season from Thomas Dowd, who had 11 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his first double-double of his collegiate career.

The offense dominated Old Dominion (4-10, 0-2 SBC) for the first 20 minutes, as they shot 52.9 percent in the first half including 42.1 percent from 3-point range. Troy took a 55-34 lead into the halftime break.

Troy's 55 points in the first half are the third most points scored in a half this season. The Trojans scored 62 in the second half against SUNO and 58 in the first half against Reinhardt.

Myles Rigsby and Tayton Conerway each had 13 first-half points. Conerway finished the night with a team-high 15 points on 5-6 shooting and 2-2 from 3-point range.

The second half wasn't as kind to the Trojans, who struggled offensively and turned the ball over. Troy shot 34.4 percent in the second half and turned the ball over 12 times. On the night, Troy had 20 turnovers.

Despite the late offensive struggles, Troy defended well, holding ODU to just 41 percent shooting on the night and forcing them into 18 turnovers. The Trojans also had 11 steals, with Marcus Rigsby Jr., leading the way with four.

Playing to Its Strength
The Trojans once again won the rebounding battle. Troy grabbed 46 rebounds (30 defensive, 16 offensive) compared to Old Dominion's 35 rebounds.

In the paint, Troy also dominated, outscoring the Monarchs 32-24. Center Jackson Fields tied his career-high in scoring at 13 points and had seven rebounds.

Once again, the team's depth was on full display, as the Trojans had 34 bench points to extend its conference lead in that category.

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

"I'm happy we got the victory. Wasn't real happy the second half and the way we played. I thought we got very sloppy and very lackadaisical. We didn't defend the way we needed to. We gave up way too many three-point shots. We let them get above 40 percent shooting. Those areas it was disappointing, but we won and wins are hard to come by. We did some good things offensively. We've got a great opportunity on Saturday against App State, who is one of the top teams in the league."

Up Next
Troy continues its four-game home stand on Saturday afternoon as they welcome App State to Trojan Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Radio Network. Tip-off is slated for 3:33 p.m.

Game 14 Notes
• Troy opens conference play with a 2-0 record, the first time they have done so since the 2009-2010 season.
• Thomas Dowd picked up his first career double-double on Thursday night with 11 points and 11 rebounds. It's the first double-double of the season for the Trojans and the 11 rebounds are a team-high this season.
• Tayton Conerway had a team-high 15 points. It's his ninth game in double-figures this season.
• Troy extends its season-long winning streak to three games.
• Troy moves to 2-0 all-time against Old Dominion. Both wins have come at Trojan Arena.
• Troy is 7-1 this season when leading at halftime and 7-1 when playing in Trojan Arena.
• Troy's 55 points in the first half are the third most points scored in a half this season. The Trojans scored 62 in the second half against SUNO and 58 in the first half against Reinhardt.