Men’s Basketball Falls to Arkansas State, 82-71

Thursday, February 15

Troy, Ala.

7:30 p.m.

Troy University

17-9,10-3Sun Belt

Arkansas State

12-14,7-6Sun Belt

Arkansas St.

Troy

Men’s Basketball Falls to Arkansas State, 82-71

2/15/2024 11:20:00 PM | Basketball (M)

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TROY, Ala. – The Troy men's basketball team struggled to slow down the high-powered Arkansas State offense on Thursday night and fell 82-71 for its first loss since Jan. 20, on Thursday night in Trojan Arena.

Troy (17-9, 10-3 SBC) picked up its first home loss since Nov. 20 against Sam Houston. The loss also snaps the Trojans six-game winning streak. With the loss, Troy fell to sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt conference.

Arkansas State (12-14, 7-6 SBC) came into Thursday's game as one of the best offensive teams in the Sun Belt and the country, and it showed as the Red Wolves shot 49.3 percent from the field on the evening and 54.3 percent in the second half.

The first 20 minutes of the game saw each team go back and forth offensively before the Trojans broke through in the final five minutes of the half to take a 41-34 lead into the halftime break.

The second half wasn't so kind to Troy, who went ice cold from the field. In the first half, Troy shot 47.2 percent from the field before shooting just 38.5 percent in the final 20 minutes. Arkansas State on the other hand, caught fire and shot 54.3 percent in the second half compared to 43 percent in the first half.

Troy was outrebounded 43-35, which led to them being outscored 33-11 in second-chance points. The Trojans also gave up 48 points in the paint.

Tarynn Todd led Arkansas State in scoring with 19 points. The Red Wolves had five players score in double-figures, something that hasn't happened to the Trojans since Feb. 19, 2022.

Aamer Muhammad led all scorers with 22 points on 7-14 shooting, including 4-8 from 3-point range. Myles Rigsby added 12 points and has now scored in double-figures in seven straight games. Also scoring in double-figures was Tayton Conerway with 12 points.

The Trojans move to 15-3 (9-2 SBC) on the season when leading at halftime. Thursday was also the first time during conference play that Troy lost when shooting 70 percent or better from the free-throw line after going 12-15 (80 percent).

Troy turned it over 14 times and forced only nine Arkansas State turnovers. The Red Wolves capitalized on the Trojans' mistakes and outscored Troy 16-8 in points off turnovers.

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

"Absolutely terrible. One of our worst performances of the year. We shut down in the second half, and I think the 'disease of me' crept in with this team. Instead of being tough street dogs and trying to figure out where we could win this basketball game, we were in our feelings. We lost the hustle points against these guys. They ripped us. That's the bottom line. They deserved to win. Hats off to them. They played harder, they were tougher, they were better. It's disappointing. I feel like we sabotaged our own success."

Up Next
Troy is back in Trojan Arena for the final time this season this Saturday against ULM. The Trojans will be honoring seniors Christyon Eugene and Aamer Muhammad. The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start and will follow the conclusion of the women's game against ULM, which is set to start at 2 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Radio Network. Live stats will also be available at Troystats.com.

Game 26 Notes
• Myles Rigsby scored 12 points in Troy's loss. It's his seventh consecutive game scoring in double-figures.
• Troy was outrebounded for just the seventh time this season and fourth time in conference play. Troy is 3-4 (2-2 SBC) in those games.
• Troy moves to 14-2 at home this season. In both home losses, Troy blew second-half leads.
• Arkansas State had five players score in double-figures. It's the first time since Feb. 19, 2022, against Coastal Carolina.
• Thursday was just the fourth time that Troy has lost a game by double-digits this season and its first in conference play.
• Troy's seven assists are tied for the second-fewest in a game this season. Troy also had just seven assists against Ohio in its second game of the season.
• Attendance for tonight's game was 4,434.