Troy University Athletics
Troy University
9-6,3-0Sun Belt
Appalachian State
11-4,2-1Sun Belt
Men's Basketball Beats App State to Extend Win Streak to Four
1/6/2024 8:08:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. — The Troy men's basketball continued its impressive start to conference play, as it defeated App State 66-62 in Trojan Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Troy (9-6, 3-0 SBC) has now won four consecutive games and is 3-0 to open conference play for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
The Trojans got off to a dismal start offensively, opening the game 2-16 from the field. App State (11-4, 2-1 SBC) took advantage of that and jumped out to an 18-10 lead, and things seemed to be heading in the wrong direction for Troy.
With 7:44 remaining in the first half, junior guard Tayton Conerway scored nine straight points — including a deep three-pointer — to put the Trojans ahead 19-18. Conerway finished the afternoon with 15 points on 5-7 shooting from the field.
Conerway's offensive eruption was the exact spark the Trojans needed, as they headed into the halftime break down just three despite shooting only 30 percent in the first 20 minutes.
Out of the break, the two teams went back and forth for the first eight minutes, but after Aamer Muhammad buried a jumper to put Troy up 39-38, the lead remained in Troy's favor until the final horn sounded.
Muhammad had a big afternoon, leading both teams in scoring with 19 points. He was 8-16 from the field and caught fire in the second half, where he went 5-8 from the field and 2-3 from 3-point range.
Saturday was Muhammad's second-highest-scoring game of the season, and it came at the perfect time for the Trojans, who were missing their third-leading scorer, Myles Rigsby, due to injury. Muhammad scored 21 points against SIUE earlier in the season.
Freshman forward Victor Valdes had his best collegiate game on Saturday, as he scored a career-high 12 points and knocked down three huge baskets from beyond the arc. Valdes also had a team-high seven rebounds, which is a new career-high.
Troy sits tied atop the Sun Belt standings with Marshall, who is also 3-0 in Sun Belt play.
Gritty, Not Pretty
It wasn't all smooth sailing for Troy despite the win. The Trojans offense wasn't sharp, as they shot just 39.1 percent (25-64) from the field and 32 percent (8-25) from 3-point range.
With the offense not firing on all cylinders, the defense needed to step up and that's exactly what they did. The Trojans held App State to 41.1 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from deep.
The Trojans made life difficult for the App State offense, as they forced the Mountaineers into 14 turnovers — 13 of which came on steals. Muhammad had a game-high four steals.
For just the fourth time this season, Troy lost the rebounding battle 42-38. They struggled in the first half, getting outrebounded 25-17, but responded well in the second half and grabbed 21 rebounds compared to App State's 17.
Troy turned it over just ten times and dished out 11 assists.
Thoughts from Coach
Head coach Scott Cross gave his thoughts following the game:
"This is a signature win for our team. App State is a top-75 team in the country and they've already won 11 games. They beat Auburn on their home court. Our guys were up for the challenge. Our guys were locked in defensively. To create 13 steals is absolutely amazing. After the first 10 minutes, we did a much better job on the boards. Aamer Muhammad absolutely carried us offensively. Tayton Conerway was really good. Victor Valdes played awesome for us. Everybody played defense and that is the biggest thing. For us to win a championship, we're going to need every guy to be locked in and play great defense."
Up Next
Troy continues its four-game homestand as it welcomes Louisiana into Trojan Arena. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and is part of a doubleheader that will see the women's team tip off at 5:15 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and on the Troy Sports Radio Network.
Game 15 Notes
• Troy is 3-0 to open conference play for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
• Victor Valdes scored a career-high 12 points and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds.
• Aamer Muhammad led all scorers with 19 points on 8-16 shooting.
• Troy moves to 2-4 on the season when shooting below 40 percent from the field.
• Saturday is Troy's first win of the season in a game decided by less than five points. They were previously 0-3.
• Troy moves to 8-1 at home this season. In the Scott Cross era, Troy is 42-20 at Trojan Arena.
• Troy moves to 10-12 all-time against App State and is 6-2 in the last eight matchups.
