Troy University Athletics
Troy University
20-11,12-6Sun Belt
ULM
4-27,1-17Sun Belt
Troy Wins Outright Sun Belt Regular-Season Title
2/27/2026 11:18:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – In a night to remember at Trojan Arena, Troy men's basketball defeated ULM and cut down the nets following its second straight Sun Belt regular-season title.
Troy (20-11, 12-6) entered the final night of the regular season in a four-way tie atop the Sun Belt standings with App State, Marshall and South Alabama. Following Troy's win, the three other teams at the top of the standings each dropped their respective games, allowing Troy to claim its first outright Sun Belt regular-season championship.
The victory gave Troy its 20th win of the season, marking the fifth consecutive year the Scott Cross-led Trojans have reached the milestone.
It took a complete effort to secure the title, as ULM (4-27, 1-17 SBC) battled throughout. Despite just four ties and two lead changes, the Warhawks trailed by only one point midway through the second half.
As they have all season, the Trojans dug deep and pulled away late, stretching the margin to a comfortable 15-point advantage by the final horn.
Thomas Dowd led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the season. He was one of four Trojans to score in double figures.
In addition to celebrating a conference title, Troy honored its seniors prior to tipoff as part of Senior Night. Jerrell Bellamy, Corbin Green, Kameryn Mitchell, Theo Seng and manager Isaac Stewart were recognized.
The game opened with three ties in the first four minutes, as both teams shot 3-for-7 heading into the first media timeout.
ULM's Renars Sonders scored eight early points, starting 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
A Dowd hook shot gave Troy a 19-17 lead at the 11:18 mark.
The Trojans used a 6-0 run over a 1:07 stretch to build a 30-20 advantage heading into the under-eight media timeout. The teams then traded baskets for the remainder of the half, and Troy carried a 37-29 lead into the locker room.
Troy encountered foul trouble early in the second half when Dowd picked up his third foul with 16:35 remaining, joining Victor Valdes with three fouls. During that stretch, the Trojans endured a 2:16 scoring drought before Bellamy ended it with a layup.
A three-pointer from Krystian Lewis trimmed Troy's lead to three heading into the under-16 timeout.
Bellamy responded with a thunderous dunk and a three-pointer on consecutive possessions, helping Troy rebuild a nine-point cushion. The run was capped when Dowd converted a layup through contact for a three-point play.
Troy then caught fire from beyond the arc, as Dowd, Valdes and Austin Cross each connected from deep.
The lead ballooned to 19 with under six minutes to play as Dowd slammed home his 20th point of the night.
Troy would be able to cruise the rest of the way to an 80-65 victory, clinching its second straight Sun Belt regular-season championship.
Quotable – Head Coach Scott Cross
"I want to thank the good Lord for this victory, it wasn't easy. [ULM] made it really close in the second half, but Kerrington Kiel, Austin Cross, and Jerrell Bellamy gave us a big lift defensively. Then we started shooting the ball well in the second half, which was great to see. It's a special group of guys. I'm just super thankful and grateful to win a championship. All wins are very difficult, and winning a championship is tough. You never want to take that for granted."
Notables
- The Trojans are Sun Belt Regular-Season champions for the third time. In addition to lasy year's title, Troy won the conference during the 2009-10 season. This year marks Troy's first outright Sun Belt title.
- The repeat marks Troy's first back-to-back regular-season title since the Cardinal and White won three-straight Atlantic Sun championships from 2001-02 through 2003-04.
- Troy finished the regular season 20-11 and 12-6 in Sun Belt action. The Trojans are the only Sun Belt team to win 20-plus games and 10-plus conference games in each of the past five seasons.
- Troy wrapped up its regular season with a 10-3 record inside Trojan Arena. The Trojans were 7-2 on their home court in conference play.
- Troy shot 50.0% from the field on Friday, its eighth time reaching that mark this season. The Trojans are a perfect 8-0 in those games.
- The Trojans' bench outscored ULM's reserves 48-0.
- The 19-point win marked Troy's eighth win of 15-plus points this season.
- Kameryn Mitchell made the first start of his career.
- Jerrell Bellamy recorded a career-high four assists.
- Kerrington Kiel also finished with four assists, a career best.
- Troy is now 20-11 all-time against ULM.
Up Next
Troy will head to Pensacola, Fla., for the Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Championship as the No. 1 seed. The Trojans receive an automatic berth into the tournament semifinals and will play on Sunday, March 8, at 5 p.m. against the winner of Saturday's 5:30 p.m. quarterfinal matchup.
