Scott Watkins
Staff Writer
Following a loss at Kentucky and a victory over East Tennessee State, the Troy men’s basketball team returned home to host Delaware State on Monday and defeated the Hornets soundly, 95-64.
Playing without star forward Jordon Varnado, the Trojans shot a season-high 64.7 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc to run past the Hornets.
Troy began to build its first lead of the game early in the half when junior forward Shawn Hopkins hit a three-pointer and followed it up with two free throws to give Troy a 10-4 lead at the game’s first media timeout.
Coming out of the break, the Trojans extended their early lead up to 20-4 before a 10-0 Delaware State run cut it to six.
Senior forward Juan Davis, who started in place of Varnado, and Hopkins helped keep the Hornets at bay and together put Troy up 26-14.
Hopkins and Davis combined for 19 points in the first half and 32 for the game.
Troy held its double-digit lead throughout the first half while senior guard Wesley Person knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to give Troy a 46-29 lead late in the half. A free throw by freshman guard Darian Adams made the score 47-29 at halftime.
The Trojans shot the ball effectively from the field, scoring 40 of their 47 first-half points from inside the paint and outside the three-point line on a 56.7 shooting percentage.
Troy opened the second half with a 9-0 run sparked by a Person three-pointer. Person hit five three-pointers in the game on seven attempts and led both teams with 22 points.
A layup from senior forward Alex Hicks pushed Troy’s lead up to 31 just before the under-12 timeout. With Troy holding a 72-41 lead, the teams then traded baskets for the rest of the game.
Freshman guard Javan Johnson scored six points in the final 6.5 minutes, while sophomore Whit Moreman scored the last two points of the game with a tip-in.
Every player who entered the game for Troy found the scoring column as Person, Davis, Hicks and Hopkins combined for 69 of Troy’s 95 total points.
“It was one of those ‘take care of business’ type games,” said Head Coach Phil Cunningham. “We needed to come home and re-establish a level of play at home that it takes to be a championship team.”
Troy will host UAB on Tuesday night in hopes of capturing the program’s first win against the Blazers after losing the first nine matchups. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. in Trojan Arena.
