Troy University Athletics
Thursday, January 9
Troy, Ala.
6 p.m.
Troy University
vs
Texas State
Troy Welcomes Texas State on Thursday Night
1/8/2025 2:08:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – The Troy men's basketball team looks to keep its undefeated conference record intact as it welcomes the Texas State Bobcats to Trojan Arena on Thursday night for a key midweek Sun Belt dual.
Troy (10-4, 3-0 SBC) is coming off a perfect 2-0 trip to the east coast, which included wins over App State and Marshall. The Trojans have now started 3-0 in conference play in back-to-back seasons, a feat not done by them since joining the Sun Belt prior to the 2005-06 season.
Texas State (8-7, 1-2 SBC) is coming off road losses to Marshall and App State last week. The Bobcats opened its Sun Belt schedule with a win over Georgia Southern on Dec. 21 in Texas.
Game Information
The Matchup: Texas State at Troy
When: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 | 6 p.m.
Where: Troy, Ala. | Trojan Arena (5,200)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Media Network
Live Stats: Troystats.com
Promotion: Military Appreciation Game
A key to Troy's successful road trip was the impressive perfomances by senior guard Tayton Conerway in both Thursday and Saturday's wins. Against Marshall on Saturday, Conerway fueled Troy's 14-point second-half comeback with a career-high 20 points on 8-15 shooting. He also added five steals, four rebounds and three assists.
In Thursday's win against App State, Conerway had 16 points on 4-4 shooting – all 3-pointers – while recording a career-best eight assists. It was the most assists in a game by a Trojan this season, and the most since Nelson Phillips had eight against SUNO on Nov. 23, 2022, in Trojan Arena.
The career week for Conerway earned him Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week, which was announced by the conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Troy's defense has been on full display throughout its first three conference games and all season. This year Troy's opponents are averaging 65.4 points per game, which are the third fewest among Sun Belt teams and 48th nationally. The Trojans are holding teams to 41.6 percent from the field, good for fifth in the Sun Belt and 100th in the country.
A key to the strong defense has been Troy's ability to force teams into mistakes. Opponents are averaging 14.8 turnovers a game, a number that makes the Trojans second in forced turnovers in the Sun Belt and 53rd in the country. Troy's defense is also forcing the second most steals per game in the Sun Belt at 9.9, a mark that ranks them 19th in the nation.
Conerway is first in the SBC and sixth among all Division I players in total steals with 41.
Scouting Texas State
The Bobcats come into Trojan Arena having lost its last three games. Entering the 2024-25 season, Texas State was picked to finish seventh in Coaches Preseason Poll. Leading the charge for the Bobcats this season has been Tyrel Morgan at 15.2 points per game while shooting 51.7 percent.
Texas State leads the all-time series 11-8, with the two teams tied at 4-4 when playing in Troy. The Bobcats have won the last two meetings, which included knocking the Trojans out of the Sun Belt Tournament in the quarterfinals last season.
Notables
• Scott Cross is in his sixth season at the helm for Troy men's basketball, and his 18th as a Division I men's basketball head coach. While at Troy he has put together an 90-80 record, which includes three straight seasons of 20 or more wins. In each of those three seasons, he has also led the Trojans to 10 or more conference wins.
• Troy finished its first conference road trip with a 2-0 showing after defeating Marshall thanks to a last-second defensive stop to escape with a 58-57 win on Saturday. Tayton Conerway had a career-high 20 points on 8-15 shooting.
• Troy picked up a crucial win on the road against App State to open its away Sun Belt schedule on Thursday. The Trojans defeated the Mountaineers 69-61, and got an impressive performance from Conerway, who led the way with 16 points.
• The Trojans have now opened their Sun Belt schedule 3-0 in back-to-back seasons, the first time they have done that since it joined the Sun Belt (2005-06).
• The Trojans entered 2024-25 picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Coaches Preseason Poll, which is the highest it had been selected to finish since the start of the 2017-18 season. Troy received one first-place vote.
• After his impressive week, Tayton Conerway was named the Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. The senior guard averaged 18 points, 5.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals. He's the second Trojan to win the award this season (Jackson Fields, Nov. 12).
• The Trojans are second in the conference in bench points per game (27.93), fastbreak points (12.64), free throw percentage (72.3), turnovers forced per game (14.79), steals per game (9.9) and offensive rebounds per game (13.86).
• Scott Cross has started all 14 games this season with the same starting lineup (Rigsby Jr., Conerway, Rigsby, Dowd and Fields). The longest streak of the same starting lineup last season was six games.
Troy (10-4, 3-0 SBC) is coming off a perfect 2-0 trip to the east coast, which included wins over App State and Marshall. The Trojans have now started 3-0 in conference play in back-to-back seasons, a feat not done by them since joining the Sun Belt prior to the 2005-06 season.
Texas State (8-7, 1-2 SBC) is coming off road losses to Marshall and App State last week. The Bobcats opened its Sun Belt schedule with a win over Georgia Southern on Dec. 21 in Texas.
Game Information
The Matchup: Texas State at Troy
When: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 | 6 p.m.
Where: Troy, Ala. | Trojan Arena (5,200)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Media Network
Live Stats: Troystats.com
Promotion: Military Appreciation Game
A key to Troy's successful road trip was the impressive perfomances by senior guard Tayton Conerway in both Thursday and Saturday's wins. Against Marshall on Saturday, Conerway fueled Troy's 14-point second-half comeback with a career-high 20 points on 8-15 shooting. He also added five steals, four rebounds and three assists.
In Thursday's win against App State, Conerway had 16 points on 4-4 shooting – all 3-pointers – while recording a career-best eight assists. It was the most assists in a game by a Trojan this season, and the most since Nelson Phillips had eight against SUNO on Nov. 23, 2022, in Trojan Arena.
The career week for Conerway earned him Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week, which was announced by the conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Troy's defense has been on full display throughout its first three conference games and all season. This year Troy's opponents are averaging 65.4 points per game, which are the third fewest among Sun Belt teams and 48th nationally. The Trojans are holding teams to 41.6 percent from the field, good for fifth in the Sun Belt and 100th in the country.
A key to the strong defense has been Troy's ability to force teams into mistakes. Opponents are averaging 14.8 turnovers a game, a number that makes the Trojans second in forced turnovers in the Sun Belt and 53rd in the country. Troy's defense is also forcing the second most steals per game in the Sun Belt at 9.9, a mark that ranks them 19th in the nation.
Conerway is first in the SBC and sixth among all Division I players in total steals with 41.
Scouting Texas State
The Bobcats come into Trojan Arena having lost its last three games. Entering the 2024-25 season, Texas State was picked to finish seventh in Coaches Preseason Poll. Leading the charge for the Bobcats this season has been Tyrel Morgan at 15.2 points per game while shooting 51.7 percent.
Texas State leads the all-time series 11-8, with the two teams tied at 4-4 when playing in Troy. The Bobcats have won the last two meetings, which included knocking the Trojans out of the Sun Belt Tournament in the quarterfinals last season.
Notables
• Scott Cross is in his sixth season at the helm for Troy men's basketball, and his 18th as a Division I men's basketball head coach. While at Troy he has put together an 90-80 record, which includes three straight seasons of 20 or more wins. In each of those three seasons, he has also led the Trojans to 10 or more conference wins.
• Troy finished its first conference road trip with a 2-0 showing after defeating Marshall thanks to a last-second defensive stop to escape with a 58-57 win on Saturday. Tayton Conerway had a career-high 20 points on 8-15 shooting.
• Troy picked up a crucial win on the road against App State to open its away Sun Belt schedule on Thursday. The Trojans defeated the Mountaineers 69-61, and got an impressive performance from Conerway, who led the way with 16 points.
• The Trojans have now opened their Sun Belt schedule 3-0 in back-to-back seasons, the first time they have done that since it joined the Sun Belt (2005-06).
• The Trojans entered 2024-25 picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Coaches Preseason Poll, which is the highest it had been selected to finish since the start of the 2017-18 season. Troy received one first-place vote.
• After his impressive week, Tayton Conerway was named the Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. The senior guard averaged 18 points, 5.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals. He's the second Trojan to win the award this season (Jackson Fields, Nov. 12).
• The Trojans are second in the conference in bench points per game (27.93), fastbreak points (12.64), free throw percentage (72.3), turnovers forced per game (14.79), steals per game (9.9) and offensive rebounds per game (13.86).
• Scott Cross has started all 14 games this season with the same starting lineup (Rigsby Jr., Conerway, Rigsby, Dowd and Fields). The longest streak of the same starting lineup last season was six games.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Basketball (M)
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