Troy University Athletics
Sunday, March 9
Pensacola, Fla.
7:30 p.m.
Troy University
22-10,13-5Sun Belt
79
vs
60
James Madison
20-12,13-5Sun Belt
1
2
F
Troy
40
39
79
James Madison
23
37
60
Men’s Basketball Clinches Spot in Sun Belt Championship Game
3/10/2025 12:21:00 AM | Basketball (M)
PENSACOLA, Fla. – For the first time since 2017, the Troy men's basketball team will be playing for a Sun Belt Conference championship after it defeated No. 2 James Madison 79-60 in the semifinal round at the Pensacola Bay Center. Troy will play No. 4 Arkansas State for a trip to the NCAA Tournament on Monday night at 6 p.m.
Troy (22-10) opened the game on fire and used a big second-half push to topple the defending champions in James Madison (20-12) and clinch a berth in the Sun Belt title game for the first time under head coach Scott Cross. With a win on Monday, Troy will earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history.
The Trojans opened Sunday's game on an 11-0 run and took a 19-9 lead into the under-12 media timeout. The Dukes responded and cut the Troy lead to 24-20 with 6:40 left in the half. However, Troy answered in even bigger fashion, going on a 16-3 run over the final 5:52 to take a 40-23 lead into the locker room.
Tayton Conerway and Jackson Fields dominated all night, and each had 11 points in the first 20 minutes. The duo was 8-10 from the field and 5-6 from distance to open the game.
Troy kept its hot offense and strong defense going to open the second half, as it pushed its lead to 52-33 with 14:07 left in the game. James Madison, who wasn't going down without a fight, started to get going on offense and cut the Trojan lead down to seven with 6:55 to go. Troy responded with an 11-1 run to push the lead to 17 and put the game out of reach.
Conerway (11), Fields (10) and Thomas Dowd (10) had double-digit scoring in the second half.
The player of the year had a team-high 22 points for Troy, while Fields had a career-high 21 points on 8-13 shooting. He also tied his career-high with five made threes. Dowd had his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Troy's defense held James Madison to 32.3 percent shooting, including 25.9 percent from distance. Mark Freeman had a game-high 32 points for the Dukes, including 25 in the second half.
The Trojans shot an efficient 47.2 percent from the field, while draining 10 of its 28 attempts from beyond the 3-point line.
Quotable – head coach Scott Cross
"First and foremost, I give all glory to the Lord above. I'm thankful for how tough and battle-ready these guys were. It was a really gritty game, and we won that because our guys were phenomenal and locked in defensively. Freeman, for them, was unstoppable, and my heart hurt for him seeing him after the game. I knew he laid it all on the line. Their coaching staff does an amazing job with that team. They are well-deserving champions and are one of the best offensive teams. This might have been the best defensive game for us. Our guys are playing their toughest basketball at the best part of the season. They were all really connected tonight, and that's what led to the success."
Championship Bound
Troy is looking to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 when it played Duke in the first round. Monday night will be the second time that Troy has played in the Sun Belt Championship game.
The Trojans will match up against No. 4 seeded Arkansas State, who beat Marshall and South Alabama en route to the title game. The two teams have faced off twice this season, with each side winning its road game.
Monday night's championship game will be broadcast on ESPN2. Fans can listen to Barry McKnight and Jerry Miller on the Troy Sports Media Network.
Notables
• Troy moves to 1-3 all-time against James Madison.
• Monday will mark just the second time that Troy has been in the Sun Belt Championship. The Trojans won the title in 2017.
• A win on Monday will give Troy its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Troy played Xavier in 2003 and Duke in 2017.
• With Sunday's win, Troy beat all 13 teams in the Sun Belt Conference this season.
• Tayton Conerway had a team-high 22 points on 7-10 shooting after scoring 18 in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
• Jackson Fields had a career-high 21 points in the win. He also tied his career-high with five made 3-pointers.
• Thomas Dowd had 18 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and the fifth of his career.
• Troy held James Madison to 32.3 percent shooting and 25.9 percent from the three.
• On offense, the Trojans shot 47.2 percent from the field, including 54.2 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
• Troy outrebounded James Madison 41-34 and had 30 points in the paint compared to 20 for the Dukes.
Troy (22-10) opened the game on fire and used a big second-half push to topple the defending champions in James Madison (20-12) and clinch a berth in the Sun Belt title game for the first time under head coach Scott Cross. With a win on Monday, Troy will earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history.
The Trojans opened Sunday's game on an 11-0 run and took a 19-9 lead into the under-12 media timeout. The Dukes responded and cut the Troy lead to 24-20 with 6:40 left in the half. However, Troy answered in even bigger fashion, going on a 16-3 run over the final 5:52 to take a 40-23 lead into the locker room.
Tayton Conerway and Jackson Fields dominated all night, and each had 11 points in the first 20 minutes. The duo was 8-10 from the field and 5-6 from distance to open the game.
Troy kept its hot offense and strong defense going to open the second half, as it pushed its lead to 52-33 with 14:07 left in the game. James Madison, who wasn't going down without a fight, started to get going on offense and cut the Trojan lead down to seven with 6:55 to go. Troy responded with an 11-1 run to push the lead to 17 and put the game out of reach.
Conerway (11), Fields (10) and Thomas Dowd (10) had double-digit scoring in the second half.
The player of the year had a team-high 22 points for Troy, while Fields had a career-high 21 points on 8-13 shooting. He also tied his career-high with five made threes. Dowd had his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Troy's defense held James Madison to 32.3 percent shooting, including 25.9 percent from distance. Mark Freeman had a game-high 32 points for the Dukes, including 25 in the second half.
The Trojans shot an efficient 47.2 percent from the field, while draining 10 of its 28 attempts from beyond the 3-point line.
Quotable – head coach Scott Cross
"First and foremost, I give all glory to the Lord above. I'm thankful for how tough and battle-ready these guys were. It was a really gritty game, and we won that because our guys were phenomenal and locked in defensively. Freeman, for them, was unstoppable, and my heart hurt for him seeing him after the game. I knew he laid it all on the line. Their coaching staff does an amazing job with that team. They are well-deserving champions and are one of the best offensive teams. This might have been the best defensive game for us. Our guys are playing their toughest basketball at the best part of the season. They were all really connected tonight, and that's what led to the success."
Championship Bound
Troy is looking to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 when it played Duke in the first round. Monday night will be the second time that Troy has played in the Sun Belt Championship game.
The Trojans will match up against No. 4 seeded Arkansas State, who beat Marshall and South Alabama en route to the title game. The two teams have faced off twice this season, with each side winning its road game.
Monday night's championship game will be broadcast on ESPN2. Fans can listen to Barry McKnight and Jerry Miller on the Troy Sports Media Network.
Notables
• Troy moves to 1-3 all-time against James Madison.
• Monday will mark just the second time that Troy has been in the Sun Belt Championship. The Trojans won the title in 2017.
• A win on Monday will give Troy its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Troy played Xavier in 2003 and Duke in 2017.
• With Sunday's win, Troy beat all 13 teams in the Sun Belt Conference this season.
• Tayton Conerway had a team-high 22 points on 7-10 shooting after scoring 18 in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
• Jackson Fields had a career-high 21 points in the win. He also tied his career-high with five made 3-pointers.
• Thomas Dowd had 18 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and the fifth of his career.
• Troy held James Madison to 32.3 percent shooting and 25.9 percent from the three.
• On offense, the Trojans shot 47.2 percent from the field, including 54.2 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
• Troy outrebounded James Madison 41-34 and had 30 points in the paint compared to 20 for the Dukes.
Team Stats
TROY
JMU
FG%
.472
.323
3FG%
.357
.259
FT%
.826
.684
RB
41
34
TO
13
8
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
6
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
Eric Newell Postgame Press Conference - Georgia Tech Fall Ball
Saturday, September 27
Behind The Wall - S10, E4
Thursday, September 25
Gerad Parker - SBC Media Zoom
Monday, September 22
Gerad Parker Postgame Press Conference - Buffalo
Saturday, September 20