Troy University Athletics
Troy University
17-10,9-5Sun Belt
Southern Miss
14-14,7-8Sun Belt
Trojans Drop Road Contest to Southern Miss, 69-65
2/14/2026 11:43:00 PM | Basketball (M)
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – In a tightly contested matchup on Saturday night, Troy men's basketball fell to Southern Miss, 69-65.
After heading into halftime tied at 26, Southern Miss (14-14, 7-8) erupted behind a dominant second-half performance from Tylik Weeks, who poured in 30 points after the break. Weeks accounted for 28 of the Golden Eagles' 34 points during an extended period in the second half.
Troy (17-10, 9-5) struggled offensively, shooting just 6-of-22 from three-point range and committing 15 turnovers.
The Trojans opened the scoring as Victor Valdes found Thomas Dowd cutting along the baseline for a layup. However, Southern Miss answered with a 6-0 run and took an early 8-4 lead.
Troy's offense labored through much of the first half, but a Kerrington Keil three-pointer at the shot clock buzzer provided a spark early. Jerrell Bellamy also provided energy with an assist on a Theo Seng and-one layup and a dunk shortly after.
The Golden Eagles led for the majority of the first 20 minutes however, and Curt Lewis extended the Southern Miss lead to 20-14 with 6:37 remaining in the half.
Austin Cross then knocked down a three-pointer to pull Troy within 24-21 before both teams endured a two-minute scoring drought. Cross hit a career-high three shots from 3-point range.
The Trojans closed the half strong, as Valdes hit two free throws and Seng added a layup to tie the game at 26 entering the intermission.
Troy grabbed its first lead early in the second half when Seng scored on a cutting layup, sparking a 7-2 run and a 33-28 advantage. The Trojans later built their largest lead of the game at eight points, highlighted by Dowd's only three of the night, that made it 43-38 with 12:24 to play.
Southern Miss then went more than four minutes without a field goal, but Weeks caught fire down the stretch. His scoring surge tied the game at 54 with just over six minutes remaining.
Cross hit his third three to briefly reclaim the lead for Troy, but Southern Miss responded with four quick points, including a second-chance tip-in from Djahi Binet, who dominated the glass with 18 rebounds, including 11 on the offensive end.
The lead changed hands twice in the final minutes before the Golden Eagles built a five-point cushion with 28 seconds left. Cooper Campbell cut the deficit to three with 18 seconds remaining, but a Southern Miss free throw and a missed three-pointer from Dowd sealed the 69-65 victory for the Golden Eagles.
Quotable – Head Coach Scott Cross
"I don't think our guys played with the level of grit and toughness that we need to do to win on the road. We lost tonight rebounding the basketball, and its disappointing. We turned it over too many times; they had a lot more shot attempts than us. We're now playing with our backs against the wall. It's not going to be an easy road, but the only thing that matters is finding a way to beat ULM."
Notables
- All eight Troy players who saw game action scored at least four points, with Thomas Dowd scoring a team-high 13.
- Cooper Campbell, Cobi Campbell, Victor Valdes, Thomas Dowd, and Theo Seng started together for the 22nd time this season.
- Troy has allowed just four combined 3-pointers over its last two games, its fewest over a two-game stretch since Troy held Louisiana and Texas State to four combined threes on Feb. 28 and March 1, 2024.
- Austin Cross set a new career high in 3-pointers made (3) and rebounds (6).
- Victor Valdes hauled in eight rebounds, which were a career best.
- Kerrington Kiel's three steals tied a career high.
- Troy is now 5-20 all-time against Southern Miss.
Up Next
Troy travels to Monroe, La., for a Wednesday night game at ULM. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from Fant-Ewing Coliseum, with the game available on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Media Network.
