Troy University Athletics
Troy University
13-6,6-1Sun Belt
Arkansas State
12-7,4-3Sun Belt
Troy Delivers Statement Performance in 99-74 Win Over Arkansas State
1/17/2026 8:34:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – In a battle between two of the Sun Belt's top teams, Troy men's basketball earned a convincing 99-74 victory over Arkansas State on Saturday afternoon inside Trojan Arena. The win moved Troy to 6-1 in Sun Belt play, marking the program's best conference start through seven games in its Sun Belt history.
The win, paired with Georgia Southern's loss to Coastal Carolina, moved Troy into sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt standings.
It was a day of standout performances across the roster, highlighted by a career-high 22 points from Jerrell Bellamy. Bellamy shot an efficient 9-of-11 from the field and added two blocks, while throwing down four dunks.
Victor Valdes dished out 14 of the Trojans' 25 assists, recording his first career double-double with 17 points.
Three other Trojans scored in double figures - Thomas Dowd (24), Cooper Campbell (13), and Cobi Campbell (11). Dowd poured in 19 first-half points and added 10 rebounds to secure his 10th double-double of the season.
Troy (13-6, 6-1) unleashed its offense in the second half, scoring 55 points and shooting 69% from the field. Troy had its best day of the season from the free throw line, shooting 90.5% (19-of-21).
Arkansas State scored the first seven points of the game, and the first Trojan basket did not come until the 17:28 mark courtesy of a Victor Valdes free throw.
The Red Wolves led 9-3 at the first media timeout of the game.
Troy then used a 5-0 run capped by a Thomas Dowd 3-pointer, who would make three in the first half and score 19 in the opening period.
Dowd was forced to leave the game after rolling his ankle while following up a miss for a tip-in dunk at the 13:12 mark, but returned just two minutes later to an ovation from the 3,321 in attendance.
His dunk sparked an 11-0 Trojan run, during which Arkansas State was held scoreless for just under six minutes. A Jalen Hampton layup trimmed the Troy lead to five, but the Trojans answered with another seven straight points to take an 11-point advantage.
Troy carried a 44-35 lead into the locker room.
Cooper Campbell connected from range on the first possession of the second half, one of three deep balls on the day for the sophomore.
Two free throws from Arkansas State's Chandler Jackson cut the lead to seven, which is the closest the Red Wolves would get the rest of the game.
On the next possession, Jerrell Bellamy threw down one of his four dunks made. Bellamy finished with 16 second half points.
With 7:35 remaining in the game and Troy already up by 13, the Trojans went on another 11-0 run. It was bookended by threes from Cobi Campbell and Thomas Dowd, while Valdes assisted on two buckets during the stretch.
Troy took its largest lead of the game with three minutes to go thanks to another three from Cobi Campbell, who finished with 11 points.
Freshman Javen Colbert got in on the scoring in the closing moments, responsible for Troy's last points of the 25-point win, a three to make the final score 99-74.
TJ Caldwell paced Arkansas State (12-7, 4-3) with 17 points in the loss.
Quotable – Head Coach Scott Cross
"That was an amazing basketball game to win in that convincing of a fashion. We got going, our guys got in flow, and we were playing with a lot of toughness and grit. We set the tone with our rebounding in the first half. They crushed us on the boards in Jonesboro, so I challenged the guys and they really responded. It all came together today; this is the best version of Troy."
Notables
- Troy is 6-1 in Sun Belt play this season, its best mark in the conference through seven games. It's Troy's best start to a conference schedule since the 2003-04 season when Troy started 6-1 in the A-SUN.
- Victor Valdes finished with 14 assists, tied for the third most assists by a Troy player since 2006. Michael Vogler holds the Troy Division I record for assists with 17 against Northwestern State in 2006.
- In addition to assists, Valdes also set a new career best with three blocks.
- Valdes is the fourth Trojan to record a double-double this season. He joins Thomas Dowd (10), Jerrell Bellamy (1), and Cooper Campbell (1).
- The Trojans recorded 25 assists on Saturday, the fourth time this year reaching the 25-assist mark. That number is tied for the second most in the country, with Michigan finishing five games with 25-plus assists.
- Thomas Dowd's 10 double-doubles is tied for eigth in the country and leads the Sun Belt.
- Troy turned the ball over seven times – tied for its lowest mark this season and least against a Division I opponent. Troy also committed just seven turnovers on Nov. 11 against Pensacola Christian.
- Jerrell Bellamy's 22 points were a career high. His previous high of 18 was set last season against Eastern Kentucky.
- Troy is now 20-15 all-time against Arkansas State.
Up Next
Troy heads north to Norfolk, Va. for a game with Old Dominion next Wednesday, Jan. 21. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT, with the game airing on ESPN+ and available to listen to on the Troy Sports Media Network.
