( Photo / Troy Athletics )
Nick Stampley shoots over an Appalachian State defender on Saturday in Trojan Arena.
Wesley Kircharr
Sports Writer
The Troy men’s basketball team took a two-game home series against conference rival Appalachian State over the weekend. The Trojans downed the Mountaineers 71-62 in game one and 65-59 in game two.
In last Friday night’s action, Troy (8-9, 3-5 Sun Belt) hit all 10 of its late game free throws to topple the runner-up in the Sun Belt east division.
“I’m super proud of the guys, and it was one of the best performances of the season and we did it on both sides of the ball,” said Head Coach Scott Cross. “Tonight, was the toughest we’ve played all season.
“We did a great job of breaking through screens and we were really resilient defensively. And then we were great offensively. Our guys did a great job of making good decisions. It was one of if not the best win of the season.”
Senior forward Nick Stampley posted a career high 23 points en route to the first conference win of the year. Stampley was followed closely by senior forward Khalil Waters who added 10 points.
In last Saturday night’s action, Troy mimicked much of the success from the night before as the team downed Appalachian State for the third time this season. The Trojans lead the season series against the Mountaineers three games to one.
“In my 23 years of coaching, I’ve never been prouder to be a basketball coach, and to be the coach of this team,” Cross said. “The way our team fought was unbelievable to watch.”
Stampley posted 19 points for a weekend total of 42 points. He grabbed seven rebounds and was followed by freshman guard Kam Woods who tallied 12 points and a career high six assists.
“It felt great to get the victory tonight,” Stampley said. “After the win last night we talked about what we did well and what we needed to do in order to win again.
“I’m just glad we stuck to the game plan and got it done. We played good defense and played hard. I’m proud of younger guys and the bench players for their contributions tonight. It was a big team win for us.
“We knew that App State was going to try and punch us in the mouth today and that we needed to withstand that run. And we did that tonight. We know when our young core gets more experience that we’re going to be a problem in this league.”
The Troy men’s basketball team is back in action Friday as they play host to Georgia Southern beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday’s matchup with the Eagles is set for 4 p.m.
