Troy men’s basketball continued its road trip with a pair of matchups at Arkansas and Oregon last week, falling in two games against tough opponents.
The Trojans opened the week with a strong first half against Arkansas. The Razorbacks were unable to find any offensive success, shooting 29% from the floor in the first half and just 18% from 3-point range.
Troy would close out the first half by shocking Razorbacks fans with a 27-26 lead over the No. 18 ranked team. In the second half, Arkansas began to find its stride with about 10 minutes to play.
A 13-3 Arkansas run put Troy down by double-digits. The Trojans were unable to respond and fell short to Coach John Calipari’s Razorbacks, 65-49.
“In the first half, we were locked in and did a great job executing,” head coach Scott Cross said to Troy Athletics. “When the defense is down on our end, it’s a little easier to help our guys out.
“In the second half, we just turned the ball over and didn’t have the same grit and toughness defensively. That was obviously the difference in the game.”
Troy ended the night with 24 turnovers and allowed Arkansas to shoot over 60% in the second half. The Trojans also went 0-for-8 on 3-point attempts in the second half, fueling the Razorbacks’ run to a decisive victory.
The Trojans were led by Jackson Fields, who put up 13 points, six rebounds and an assist. Myles Rigsby was right behind Fields with 12 points and four rebounds.
Arkansas’ Adou Thiero had a big night with 19 points, but it was Zvonimir Ivisic that came off the bench and shocked the Trojans. The 7-foot-2 forward put up 19 points and went a remarkable 6-for-7 from beyond the arc.
The Trojans continued their road trip following the loss with a trip to Eugene, Oregon, which Troy hoped might hold a different outcome.
It would still not go the way Troy hoped, as an 82-61 loss would put the Trojans back to .500 in the early portion of the season.
The Ducks got out front right from tip-off and found themselves ahead 23-8 just 12 minutes in. Oregon would never look back after that, nursing the double-digit lead through the remainder of the game.
A slightly better offensive performance from Troy was led by Myles Rigsby. With 15 points, he was the only Trojan to have a double-digit scoring night.
“It wasn’t our best effort tonight on either side of the ball,” Cross said to Troy Athletics.
“Obviously when we hit shots, it makes our defense a lot better, but we couldn’t hit shots, and our intensity wasn’t where it needed to be on defense.”
The Trojans shot 37% from the floor but only 12% from three. A tough offensive night was not helped by Oregon firing up shots at 50% efficiency.
While the Trojans fell short of pulling off two potential upsets, they’ll lick their wounds with a matchup against West Georgia Nov. 19. The Trojans return home for the Trojan Turkey Tipoff against UTSA and Merrimack next week.
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