Taylor Boydstun
Staff Writer
The Trojans men’s basketball team had a busy week in three fast-paced games at home and in Mobile.
Troy (9-17, 4-11 Sun Belt) fell at home to Georgia Southern on Thursday, but then picked up two more conference wins, toppling Georgia State (13-10, 6-8 Sun Belt) on Saturday, and beating South Alabama 61-54 on Tuesday.
Against Georgia Southern, Troy’s senior forward John Walton III led in scoring with 20 points. Walton achieved yet another double-double. Freshman guard Shawn Hopkins completed his first career double-double, scoring 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Sophomore guard Wesley Person added 16 points to the score, with three more three-pointers to continue his streak of 53 consecutive games with a basket beyond the arc. While the Trojans started off well with a 14-2 lead, Georgia Southern bounced back to take a 36-28 lead by halftime.
The Trojans outscored their opponents in the second half, but the Eagles managed to keep their lead. It was Georgia Southern’s fourth consecutive win.
The following Saturday, the Trojans narrowly beat Georgia State, as Walton made a layup with just 10 seconds left to win 54-53. After Walton’s game-winning bucket, Hopkins made a block on the defense to close the game.
The Panthers did not take the lead in the second half until there were about 3 minutes left on the clock. A 3-point bucket put them up 50-49.
With just 30 seconds left in the game, Person hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game, bringing his team within one point of the Panthers, who were up 53-52.
The evening of Tuesday, Feb. 16, the Troy basketball teams traveled to face in-state rival South Alabama at the Mitchell Center.
The Trojans took a strong 13-point lead at the halftime mark. They continued to remain in the lead throughout most of the game, taking a 50-29 lead with 7:37 left in the game.
In the last six minutes of the game, South went on a 19-7 run, but Troy closed the game 61-54.
Person hit five 3-point shots, bringing his streak to 55 consecutive games. He also led his team in scoring by putting 28 points on the board. The next highest score by a teammate was Walton with nine points, seven of which were free throws.
The Troy Trojans’ men’s basketball team hits the road again on Saturday, Feb. 20, as they play Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina, at 3:45 p.m.
