Jackson Fields takes a breather during Troy’s game against Southern Miss.
Highlighted by toppling the top seeded Red Wolves on national television, Troy men’s basketball earned back-to-back road victories against Louisiana and Arkansas State last week.
Coming off back-to-back losses, Troy looked to get back on track in the back half of its four-game road stretch. The team did just that, beginning with the win over Louisiana at the Cajundome on Wednesday.
What appeared to be a back-and-forth matchup would not last long. The Trojans began to pull away from a tie game 10 minutes in as they built the lead up to 29-20 at halftime.
A 17-4 opening start in favor of Troy would set the tone for the remainder of the game. Troy wrapped up a dominating win over Louisiana 74-56.
“When we play together as a team and are connected – which I did feel we were connected tonight, we’re really good” said head coach Scott Cross.
Two Trojans stood above the rest in the weeknight clash. Myles Rigsby and Thomas Dowd both had 19 points apiece. Dowd’s 12 rebounds also marked a double-double for the sophomore, the third of his career.
Although Tayton Conerway did not have as many points as Trojan fans might have hoped, he was dishing it to the rest of the group all night long. Conerway finished the night with a team-high seven assists.
The win for Troy put the team on a collision course with Arkansas State in a nationally-televised game for a share of the number one spot in the conference. A matchup with the Red Wolves on ESPN2 had plenty of anticipation, especially after Arkansas State had already shocked Troy in the previous matchup at Trojan Arena.
After tipoff, the game lived up to the hype. The Trojans and Red Wolves continued to battle, but a couple late buckets put Arkansas State ahead 34-30 at half.
As both teams traded blows in the first half, the momentum finally shifted thanks to a made three by Jackson Fields to put the Trojans ahead 63-62. Troy narrowly held onto the lead, and the team managed to escape Jonesboro with a 71-70 victory.
“What a beautiful victory it was, Jackson Fields was amazing,” Cross said to Troy Athletics. “The guy has been in the gym, working on his shot.
“He hadn’t had a lot of success from the 3-point line, but you can see his shot and it’s beautiful.”
Fields led the Trojans with a career best 20 points. The junior was 5-for-7 from three and accounted for eight rebounds and three steals too.
Arkansas State, a team that plays “live and die by the three” style, knocked down eight from downtown. Fortunately for Troy, the team managed to match the Red Wolves with eight of their own.
The victory marks the first time Troy has won on national television since it did so in the 2022 road game with Florida State on the ACC Network. It also snapped a 15-game win streak for Arkansas State.
Troy now is among four teams tied for the top spot in the Sun Belt Conference standings. Along with the Trojans, Arkansas State, South Alabama and JMU all sit as co-kings of the hill for the time being.
Only four games left to go in the regular season to break the tie. Troy will have its final two home games this week as the team attempts to sweep Louisiana, then look to take down Coastal Carolina on Senior Day.
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