Troy University Athletics
Troy University
22-11,12-6Sun Belt
Georgia Southern
21-16,8-10Sun Belt
Troy Runs Past Georgia Southern to Win Sun Belt Championship, 77-61
3/10/2026 12:50:00 AM | Basketball (M)
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Troy men's basketball is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season, using an all-around impressive performance to shut down Georgia Southern, 77-61, in the Sun Belt Championship game.
The Trojans (22-11) earned their way to the title game following a 12-6 Sun Belt regular-season record, good for the outright regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. On Sunday, Troy defeated No. 8 Southern Miss to advance to championship Monday.
No. 10 Georgia Southern (21-16) entered the game having won five games in five days to earn the right to play for the title.
Troy led for nearly the entire contest Monday and held multiple double-digit leads behind a 59% (30-of-51) shooting performance. The Trojans dominated the glass, outrebounding the Eagles 35-17 for their third-largest rebounding margin against a Division I opponent this season.
Thomas Dowd led the way with 23 points and 13 rebounds, recording his 17th double-double of the season. His dominant performance earned him the Sun Belt Championship's Most Outstanding Player award.
Dowd scored Troy's first basket of the game on a driving layup before Jerrell Bellamy flushed his first slam of the night to give the Trojans an early 4-3 lead. Troy held an 8-3 advantage at the first media timeout.
The Eagles struggled offensively in the early going, making just three of their first 12 shot attempts while committing four turnovers.
Dowd paced Troy throughout the first half, nearly recording a double-double in the opening 20 minutes with 13 points and eight rebounds.
His 3-pointer with 4:41 remaining pushed Troy's lead to 25-16, igniting the pro-Troy crowd inside the Pensacola Bay Center.
The Trojans led by as many as 14 in the first half and shot 58% from the field (15-of-26).
Georgia Southern started the second half hot, scoring the first nine points from the field to cut Troy's lead to five.
Cobi Campbell scored Troy's first field goal of the second half with a driving layup off the glass to make it 44-37.
Victor Valdes pushed the lead back to double figures as Troy led by 10 with 12:34 remaining. The margin would not dip back into single digits for the rest of the night.
Austin Cross and Dowd knocked down threes over the next few minutes — two of Troy's five 3-pointers on the night. The Trojans made eight total across their two games in Pensacola.
Cooper Campbell added the final field goal for Troy on a fast-break layup that ended any hopes of a Georgia Southern comeback.
The Trojans dribbled out the final seconds, securing the 77-61 victory and sending Troy back to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
Quotable – Head Coach Scott Cross
"I'm super thankful to the good Lord for this victory. It was a hard-fought game, Georgia Southern deserves a lot of credit. They had a lot of momentum and showed a lot of guts and heart. We're just super thankful and will never take any of this for granted. We have great players that are really connected, so many ball handlers and skilled guys. It was an all-around team performance, and I'm just super thankful and blessed to be able to coach this group of guys."
Notables
- With the win, Troy is the first team to repeat as Sun Belt Tournament champions since Georgia State won back-to-back titles from 2018-19.
- It is Troy's third Sun Belt title and fourth conference championship as a Division I institution.
- TheTrojans will now prep for their fourth-ever NCAA Tournament game. The Cardinal and White are still looking for its first win in the Big Dance.
- Thomas Dowd eclipsed the 1,000 point mark in the second half. He becomes the 30th player in Troy's history to reach the milestone.
- Scott Cross earned his 350th win of his career on Monday, with 125 coming as Troy's head coach.
- Troy held Georgia Southern leading scorer Tyren Moore to just 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting. Moore entered the night averaging 22 points across the Eagles' five tournament games.
- In addition to Dowd taking home Most Outstanding Player, Jerrell Bellamy was named to the All-Tournament team. Bellamy averaged 18.5 points and three blocks over Troy's two games.
- The Trojans have won five straight Sun Belt tournament games after winning two this season and three a year ago en route to two-consecutive titles.
- Troy is now 15-16 all-time against Georgia Southern.
Up Next
Troy will await Selection Sunday, held on Sunday, March 15 at 5 p.m. CT on CBS. The Trojans will learn its opponent, time, and destination as the entire NCAA Tournament field of 68 is revealed.
