Jackson Fields throws down a dunk against South Alabama.
Troy men’s basketball began its four-game home stretch with back-to-back wins over conference foes South Alabama and Southern Miss.
Coming off the loss to the Jaguars the previous Saturday, Troy was expecting to see Southern Miss on Thursday. After a historic week of snow, the game was pushed back to Monday, and the Trojans prepared for rivals Jaguars once again.
In front of a crowd of 5,041 -- the third largest attendance in school history -- Troy was able to ride the wave of energy provided by Trojan fans. A slow start for both teams in the first five minutes quickly changed pace with an 11-0 run for Troy to make it an early double-digit lead.
Troy held onto that lead heading to the locker room, with the Jags looming close behind 32-26 at halftime. It seemed as though Troy would comfortably hold that lead for the second half as well, until a late surge put South Alabama down by just four at 50-46 with five minutes to play.
The Jags had rung the bell, but Troy was there to answer it. A quick 7-2 run made the gap comfortable again. Troy sent the Jags packing with a final score of 65-55.
“Our guys were locked in defensively,” head coach Scott Cross said. “You could see it in their eyes.
“That’s the look that we have to have for us to be the best team possible.”
The eyes of Trojan nation were upon Myles Rigsby and Cooper Campbell in the Saturday clash. Rigsby led the team with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Campbell had 12 points, making up four of the Trojans’ 12 made 3-pointers.
Shooting beyond the perimeter was something Troy had aimed to do in the first matchup, but this time it was much more efficient. The Trojans gained the early lead thanks to the eight treys made in the first half and 40 percent efficiency from downtown.
Troy turned its attention to Southern Miss for the rescheduled matchup on Monday. Similar to the previous game, Troy got off to a strong start, this time with a 23-7 opening lead in the first 10 minutes. By halftime, the Trojans were comfortably ahead 39-26.
The second half seemed more of the same, as Troy had widened the gap to an astounding 63-36 margin. Southern Miss gave the Trojans a slight scare with a 25-7 run, but it would not be enough as Troy earned the 70-61 victory.
“I thought for the majority of the game we played outstanding defense and did a great job rebounding the basketball,” Cross said. “The last 10 minutes we got really, really sloppy.”
Tayton Conerway and Thomas Dowd both had impressive nights. Conerway seemingly found his rhythm again with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists. Dowd was just shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds.
The pair of wins for Troy elevates the team back into the runner-up position in the Sun Belt Conference with a 6-3 record. While Arkansas State holds the top spot at 7-2, a rematch in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on Feb. 15 could have major conference title implications.
For now, the Trojans will try to hold down the fort in Trojan Arena for two more games.
They’ll take on Georgia Southern on Thursday, followed by a chance to complete a two-game sweep over ULM on Saturday.
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