Troy Completes Comeback to Defeat Marshall

Saturday, January 4

Huntington, W.Va.

3 p.m.

Troy University

10-4,3-0Sun Belt

Marshall

8-8,1-2Sun Belt

Troy

Marshall

Troy Completes Comeback to Defeat Marshall

1/4/2025 7:41:00 PM | Basketball (M)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Down 12 at halftime, the Troy men's basketball team roared back in the final 20 minutes to stun Marshall, 58-57, in the Cam Henderson Center on Saturday afternoon.

Tayton Conerway had the best game of his collegiate career, fueling the Troy (10-4, 3-0 SBC) second-half comeback with 20 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists. The senior guard out of Texas tied his previous career-high of 16 points in Thursday's win over App State. Marshall (8-8, 1-2 SBC) had no answer for his playmaking and shooting ability. Conerway finished the night 8-15 from the field, including 4-9 from 3-point range.

For the first time since joining the Sun Belt (2005-06), Troy has opened conference play 3-0 in back-to-back seasons.

Troy struggled in the first half, as it shot just 34.8 percent and took 19 points into the locker room. The Thundering Herd opened the game on a 12-2 run and was completely in control for the first five minutes. The Trojans started to settle down offensively, as they were able to cut the deficit to six (19-13) going into the under-eight media timeout.

Marshall kept Troy at bay for most of the last eight minutes and took a 31-19 lead into the break. Obinna Anochili-Killen had 13 points on 6-7 shooting to open the game, and the Thundering Herd forced Troy into 12 first-half turnovers.

Troy opened the second half on a 8-2 run to cut its deficit to six, which included a pair of Conerway three's and a layup by Marcus Rigsby Jr, that forced Marshall to burn a timeout. Troy kept its strong play going coming out of the break, and thanks to a Victor Valdes 3-point play on a tough layup, the Trojans took their first lead of the night (40-39) with 12:05 remaining in regulation.

Marshall quickly responded and was able to regain a 52-47 lead with 7:09 left. Conerway followed with another three to make it just a one possession game. Going into the final media timeout of the evening, the Thundering Herd led the Trojans 56-52.

Conerway evened things up at 57-57 on an impressive layup with 1:33 remaining on the clock. The Trojan's defense was able to get some crucial stops, and Jackson Fields got himself to the free-throw line with 26 seconds left after getting fouled while bringing down an offensive rebound. He missed his first attempt but made the second to give Troy the 58-57 lead.

Needing just one more stop on defense to escape with the win, Thomas Dowd and Fields were able to trap Mikal Dawson, forcing him into a tough three-point attempt at the buzzer that hit back iron and was grabbed by Conerway to seal the win.

Troy finished the night shooting 37.3 percent from the field, while Marshall was at 39.3 percent. The difference came at the free throw line, where Troy was 13-17 (76.5 percent) and Marshall was 10-17 (58.8 percent).

In addition to Conerway's 20 points, Myles Rigsby had 13 on 3-6 shooting. The Trojans got a team-high nine rebounds from Dowd, including some key offensive rebounds late in the game.

Anochili-Killen finished with a team-high 17 points for Marshall.

Quotable – head coach Scott Cross
"The Good Lord definitely had his hand upon us, there's no doubt about it. We're so thankful for him blessing us with this win. I also believe 100 percent, if our guys don't play as hard as they possibly can in the second half to turn it around, there's no way we get blessed in that game. It was such a great team-effort all the way around… Man, I love coaching these guys. I am just super, super thankful. It's going to be the greatest five-hour bus ride to Nashville. I can't wait to get on that bus."

Up Next
Troy returns to Trojan Arena for a pair of big home games this coming week. Troy will welcome Texas State on Thursday for a 6 p.m. tipoff and Arkansas State on Saturday for a 3:33 p.m. tipoff. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Media Network.

Game 14 Notables
• Troy is now 3-3 all-time against Marshall and has won the last two meetings.
• Tayton Conerway scored a career-high 20 point on 8-15 shooting. He tied his career-high – set in Thursday's win over App State – with four made 3-pointers.
• Conerway also had five steals, four rebounds and three assists.
• For the first time since joining the Sun Belt (2005-06), Troy has opened conference play 3-0 in back-to-back seasons.
• Saturday was Troy's first win of the season when trailing at halftime. Troy is 1-3 in those games this season. It was also Troy's first win of the season when shooting below 40 percent from the field.
• Troy is 7-1 (3-0 SBC) when winning the opening tip this season.
• Myles Rigsby scored in double figures (13) for the 11th time this season.