Troy University Athletics
Troy University
18-10,11-4Sun Belt
Arkansas State
14-14,9-6Sun Belt
Men’s Basketball Falls to Arkansas State, 79-71
2/23/2024 12:33:00 AM | Basketball (M)
JONESBORO, Ark. – The Troy men's basketball team fought back in the second half, but it wasn't enough as it fell 79-71 to Arkansas State on Thursday night in the First National Bank Arena.
Troy (18-10, 11-4 SBC) fell behind by 19 points in the first half and struggled to stop the high-powered offense of Arkansas State (14-14, 9-6 SBC). The Red Wolves shot a scorching 58.3 percent in the first half and knocked down eight three-pointers.
Arkansas State went into the halftime break leading 39-28 and with all the momentum in its pocket. Meanwhile, Troy went 10-30 in the first half and knocked down just two of its nine three-point attempts.
The second half was a much better showing for Troy, who put together a 10-0 run midway through the final 20 minutes to make it a single-digit game. The Trojans – who could get nothing to go their way at the beginning of the game – found a way to make it just a two-point deficit.
Down 50-48, the two teams traded buckets for the next eight or so minutes before Troy put together a 6-0 run to take its first lead of the game – 66-65 – with 3:11 remaining. However, the Trojans just couldn't quite close it out, and the Red Wolves went on a 14-5 to secure the season sweep.
Troy's comeback was fueled by Victor Valdes and his career-high 16 points. Valdes put together an 8-0 run all by himself to get the Trojans back in the game in the second half. He finished the night 6-12 from the field and 3-6 from three-point range. Also scoring a career-high 16 points was Tayton Conerway, who was 7-11 from the field.
In addition to Valdes and Conerway, also scoring in double-figures were Aamer Muhammad (14), Myles Rigsby (11), and Christyon Eugene (10). The Trojans finished the night shooting 40 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from 3-point range.
Six players scored in double figures for Arkansas State, who were led by Taryn Todd's 17 points. Freddy Hicks registered a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Red Wolves shot 50 percent on the night and made 11 three-pointers.
The Red Wolves won the paint battle, as they outrebounded the Trojans 38-30 and had nine blocks compared to Troy's three.
Thoughts from Coach
Head coach Scott Cross gave his thoughts following the game:
"I thought our guys played really hard in the second half. First 16 minutes not so much. We weren't locked in… They made us pay. It was disappointing. In the second half – when we trapped them – it kind of got them out of rhythm. We started to get stops, and we took the lead there with three minutes to go. Down the stretch, they made plays, and we didn't. We've got to find a way to get a split (on this road trip)."
Up Next
The Trojans head to Monroe, La., to take on ULM on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Radio Network.
Game 28 Notables
• Victor Valdes and Tayton Conerway each set new career highs with 16 points on Thursday night.
• Myles Rigsby has now scored in double-figures in each of the last nine games and has 20 or more points in four of those games. Rigsby scored 11 points against Arkansas State on Thursday night.
• Christyon Eugene had 10 points and has now scored in double-figures in 23 of 28 games this season.
• The Trojans are 0-2 on the season when their opponents shoot 50 percent or better from the field. Arkansas State shot 50 percent on Thursday night. It was the first time this season that a Sun Belt opponent shot 50 percent from the field.
• Troy moves to third place in the Sun Belt Standings behind App State and James Madison.
• Troy moves to 0-3 on the season when playing on national television.
