Troy University Athletics
Troy University
20-11,13-5Sun Belt
Texas State
14-17,7-11Sun Belt
Men’s Basketball Drops Finale to Texas State, 82-79
3/2/2024 12:21:00 AM | Basketball (M)
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Troy Men's basketball team couldn't get the stop it needed in overtime, as it fell 82-79 to Texas State in Strahan Arena on Friday night in the regular season finale.
Troy (20-11, 13-5 SBC) struggled at the free-throw line all night – 23-32 – and failed to prevent Texas State (14-17, 7-11 SBC) from dominating the glass. The Bobcats had 42 rebounds and generated plenty of second chance points with 16 offensive rebounds. Troy on the other hand had 33 rebounds, nine coming on the offensive side of the court.
Things were looking up in the first half for Troy, who started strong and built a game-high 14-point lead with 2:40 remaining until the break. The Bobcats, however, put together a 7-2 run to make it a nine point game at the break.
That strong play to end the half for Texas State continued into the second half, as it opened the final 20 minutes on a 6-0 run to make it a two possession game and after that, the two teams traded buckets for the remainder of the night.
Tied at 69 with 25 seconds left, Myles Rigsby worked his way to the free throw line and buried a pair of shots to give Troy a two-point advantage. Texas State answered right back, as Davion Sykes tied the game with 15 seconds left. Aamer Muhammad launched a three-pointer as the horn sounded, but it fell short and the game went to overtime.
Texas State made one more basket and free throw than the Trojans in the five-minutes period, and that proved to be the difference.
The Numbers
The Trojans did things well on Friday, as they continued to play strong defense. Troy forced Texas State into 17 turnovers while forcing 13 steals. Tayton Conerway and Thomas Dowd each had a team-high three steals.
Troy also held Texas State to 46 percent from the field and 3-14 from 3-point range. The Bobcats had a poor showing from the free-throw line, going 21-33. Sykes had an impressive night for Texas State, going for game-high 30 points and 12 rebounds.
The Trojans finished the night going 46.3 percent from the field and 30 percent from distance.
Conerway had a team-high 14 points. Rigsby added 12 on 4-6 shooting from the field.
Christyon Eugene capped off his impressive regular season with 10 points and passed the 1,000 career point mark. All 1,001 of Eugene's points have come in a Troy uniform. He finishes the regular season leading the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game.
Thoughts from Coach
Head coach Scott Cross gave his thoughts following the game:
"They were tougher than us. Bottom line. We didn't have the competitive fire that we need to go on the road and win. They were motivated. They outrebounded us by nine. Had 16 offensive rebounds… We switched up our defenses and none of them were good. That's what I told the guys, it's not about the defense we're in, it's about the competitive fire that's in your heart. We didn't have that tonight."
Up Next
The Trojans are the No. 3 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament that is set to get underway on Tuesday in Pensacola, Fla. Troy, who secured a double-bye, will open its play on Saturday night at 5 p.m. against either Southern Miss, Texas State or Old Dominion. All Sun Belt Tournament games will be broadcast on ESPN+, with the championship game on ESPN2.
Game 31 Notes
• Christyon Eugene scored 10 points and eclipsed the 1,000 point mark in his career on Friday night.
• Troy's 13 regular season conference wins are its most since the 2008-09 season.
• The Trojans are the only team in the Sun Belt with 20 wins in each of the last three seasons.
• Tayton Conerway was the leading scorer for the Trojans with 14 points. Also scoring in double-figures was Myles Rigsby with 12 and Christyon Eugene with 10.
• Troy is the No. 3 seed and has a double-bye in the Sun Belt Tournament that is set to get underway on Tuesday night in Pensacola, Fla. Troy will play on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the quarterfinals against Southern Miss, Texas State or Old Dominion.
• Christyon Eugene finished the season as Troy's leading scorer at 15.2 points per game. He scored in double figures in 26 of 31 games.
