Troy University Athletics
Troy University
21-11,12-6Sun Belt
Southern Miss
19-16,9-9Sun Belt
No. 1 Troy Downs No. 8 Southern Miss, Advances to Sun Belt Championship Game
3/8/2026 10:29:00 PM | Basketball (M)
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Top-seeded Troy used a strong defensive performance and 22 points from Jerrell Bellamy to defeat No. 8 Southern Miss, 78-70, and punch its ticket to a second-straight Sun Belt championship game appearance.
The win sets up a matchup with No. 10 Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt Championship Game, which will tip off Monday at 6 p.m. and air on ESPN2.
Troy (22-10, 12-6 SBC) limited the Golden Eagles to 40.6% shooting from the field and just 2-of-19 from three (10.5%). Despite struggling from the outside themselves (3-of-17), the Trojans used their physicality and a strong night at the free-throw line (31-of-38) to earn the win.
Southern Miss (19-16, 9-9 SBC) was led by a game-high 32 points from Isaac Tavares.
Bellamy scored the first basket of the game on an alley-oop tip-in on Troy's opening possession.
Both offenses were efficient early, as the teams combined to make their first seven shots of the game. Troy trailed 11-10 at the first media timeout.
Bellamy was a big reason for the fast start, scoring eight of Troy's first 16 points. He added his 10th point with a steal and layup, giving Troy a 25-18 lead with 8:04 to play in the first half.
Troy maintained its lead as the Golden Eagles went 4:43 without a point. Tylik Weeks picked up his third foul during that stretch, forcing him to the bench. During the Southern Miss drought, Troy went on a 10-0 run.
Another dunk from Bellamy off a dish from Victor Valdes pushed Troy's lead to 13, 41-28, at the halftime break.
The Trojans shot 54% from the floor while forcing nine Southern Miss turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
A Cobi Campbell three-pointer gave Troy its largest lead to that point at 17 with 16:54 to play in the second half.
The Trojans then went more than 10 minutes without a field goal in the second half, relying on trips to the free-throw line during that stretch. Troy finished the game 31-of-38 from the charity stripe.
Valdes and Southern Miss's Weeks spent much of the second half playing with four fouls after picking them up early in the period.
Weeks converted just Southern Miss's second three of the night with 5:46 to play, cutting Troy's lead to 10. The Golden Eagles' leading scorer finished with 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting.
Cooper Campbell responded on the other end, knocking down his first three-pointer of the night.
Late in the game, Southern Miss's Denijay Harris scored to trim Troy's advantage to four with less than a minute remaining.
However, Troy knocked down clutch free throws in the closing seconds to secure the 78-70 victory.
Quotable – Head Coach Scott Cross
"Our guys really battled, I thought in the first half we were really connected defensively. [Southern Miss] is really hard to guard, its not an easy matchup for us. We had to be really connected to get enough stops. Overall, I'm really pleased. The most important stat is the final score and our guys did enough to get it done."
Notables
- With the win, Troy returns to the Sun Belt championship game for the second-straight season. The last team to play in two consecutive SBC title games was Louisiana across the 2022-23 tournaments.
- The Trojans have now won four-straight Sun Belt Tournament games, after winning three last season en route to the school's second Sun Belt Championship title.
- Troy is now 16-14 all-time in Sun Belt Tournament games.
- Troy led for 36:16 of game time, including the entire second half.
- The Trojans halted the Golden Eagles, who had won three-straight games in the tournament to get to the semifinals as the No. 8 seed.
- Troy will aim to do the same on Monday night, as No. 10 Georgia Southern has won five-consecutive to reach the title game.
- With his first made free throw of the night, Victor Valdes set Troy's all-time record for most free throws made in a season, breaking Terry McCord's 156 free throws during the 1992-93 season.
- Jerrell Bellamy's 22 points marked the third time this season he has crossed the 20-
- Bellamy's six blocks and three steals were both career highs.
- Cooper Campbell tied a career high with seven made free throws.
- Additionally, Thomas Dowd's 10 free throws made were a career high.
- Troy is now 6-20 all-time against Southern Miss.
Up Next
Troy now readies for the Sun Belt Championship game tomorrow night, taking on Georgia Southern at 6 p.m. The contest will air nationally on ESPN2 and will be available to listen to on the Troy Sports Media Network.
