Troy Rolls Past EKU, 84-74

Sunday, December 1

Troy, Ala.

2 p.m.

Troy University

5-3,0-0Sun Belt

Eastern Kentucky

4-4,0-0ASUN

Eastern Ky.

Troy

12/1/2024 6:00:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

TROY, Ala. – The Troy men's basketball team was on fire offensively all afternoon long, as it defeated Eastern Kentucky 84-74 to close out its three-game homestand on Sunday in Trojan Arena.

Troy (5-3) shot a blistering 58.0 percent (29-50) from the field, including 66.7 percent (14-21) in the second half, to pick up a much-needed win after falling to Merrimack on Friday. It was the best shooting performance by the Trojans against a Division I team since it shot 59.6 percent against ULM on Jan. 20, 2022, in Monroe. The Trojans also impressed from the free-throw line – 18-20 (90.0 percent) – and from distance – 8-17 (47.1 percent).

Myles Rigsby had the best game of his season, and one of the best of his career, as he scored a game and season-high 20 points on 8-11 shooting, including burying both of his 3-point attempts. Jerrell Bellamy also had a career night, going for a personal-best 18 points on 5-7 shooting. He was also 8-8 from the free-throw line.

EKU (4-4) finished the night with a 46.8 percent clip from the field but was just 4-22 (18.2 percent) from 3-point range.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair for the opening 10 minutes. With the Trojans leading 21-17, the offense went on a 5-0 run to make it a nine-point advantage. The Colonels battled back as the half wore down and were able to trim the deficit to four with 3:48 remaining. It never got closer than that, and the Trojans took a 41-36 lead into the break. Rigsby had 11 of his 20 points in the first half.

Coming out of the locker room, the two teams traded buckets much like in the first 20 minutes of the game. At the under-12 media timeout, the Troy lead was at seven, but EKU cut it to 61-60 going into the second to last media timeout.

The Trojans responded to the Colonels offensive eruption with one of their own, going on an 11-2 run in less than two minutes to make it 72-62 and put the game in Troy's control. EKU cut the deficit to six with 2:21 remaining, but the Trojans outscored them 7-3 in the final 1:54 to come away with the 10-point victory.

In addition to Rigsby and Bellamy's good shooting nights, Cooper Campbell and Tayton Conerway each had 10 points. Campbell was a perfect 4-4 from the field, including 2-2 from distance. Conerway had a team-high five assists and picked up a pair of steals.

Troy won the rebounding battle 34-23, and nine of the 10 Trojans who appeared in the game grabed two or more rebounds. Troy also won the paint battle 42-34, and the bench battle 36-30.

Despite the double-digit victory, Troy turned the ball over 19 times. EKU outscored Troy 23-10 on points from turnovers.

Devontae Blanton and George Kimble III each scored 14 to lead EKU.

Quotable – head coach Scott Cross
"It was a great all-around win for the guys. We had such a quick turnaround, and [EKU] is a hard team to prepare for because they pressure for 40 minutes and with only having one day, it was so quick. But our guys did a great job. It was an all-around great team performance for us. Our bench was amazing. It starts off though, with Myles [Rigsby]; I mean 8-11 from the field, 2-2 from the 3-point line and 20 points on 11 shots – that's amazing right there. Jerrell Bellamy had 18 points on seven shots, which is unheard of productivity right there. Cooper Campbell had a perfect game. He was 4-4 from the field, 2-2 from the 3-point line, no turnovers, one assist and two rebounds. I mean those guys just gave us huge lifts."

Up Next
Troy has eight days off before its next game on Dec. 10, as it heads to No. 6 Houston for its final non-conference road game before conference play opens on Dec. 21. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Media Network.

Notables
• Myles Rigsby scored a season-high 20 points on 8-11 shooting in the Sunday victory. It's the most points scored by a Trojan in game this season. He has scored 10 or more points in all eight games.
• Jerrell Bellamy had a career-high 18 points on 5-7 shooting. He was also perfect from the free-throw line, going for a career-best 8-8.
• Cooper Campbell and Tayton Conerway each had 10 points to complement Myles Rigsby and Jerrell Bellamy. It's the second time this week those four have all scored in double-digits in the same game (vs. UTSA).
• Troy shot 58.0 percent from the field, which is the best shooting performance against a Division I team since it shot 59.6 percent against ULM on Jan. 20, 2022, in Monroe.
• Troy was 18-20 (90.0 percent) from the free-throw line. It's the best free-throw percentage in a game since Troy was 38-42 (90.5 percent) on the road against Louisiana on Feb. 28, 2024.
• Troy won the rebounding battle 34-23 and had nine of its 10 players who appeared in the game grab two or more rebounds.
• The Troy defense held EKU to 18.2 percent (4-22) from distance, which is the worst 3-point shooting percentage by a Troy opponent since Toledo shot 17.6 percent (3-17) to open the season.
• Troy moves to 2-1 all-time against Eastern Kentucky, including 2-0 at Trojan Arena.