Coach Scott Cross cuts down the net after winning the title.
Troy men’s basketball closed out its regular season with two more wins against Texas State and Southern Miss last week, giving them a share of the regular season Sun Belt Championship.
The championship is split between four teams. Along with the Trojans, South Alabama, James Madison and Arkansas State all have a share of the title.
In order to get the title, Troy needed to win its two games and have a little help from other teams during the week. That began with Troy’s Tuesday night matchup with Texas State.
It seemed as though things were not going to end well for the Trojans as their hope of getting that title share had faltered following the loss to Louisiana the week prior, and a 37-34 Bobcats lead at halftime did not help most Trojan fans’ faith.
Troy was quickly able to knot things back up, and a small 7-0 run helped push the team to a lead over Texas State. Although the Bobcats continued to battle, Troy outlasted them and earned the 74-69 win on the road.
“We were able to secure second and third opportunities,” said head coach Scott Cross. When you do that, you give yourself a great opportunity to win.”
Troy outrebounded Texas State 41-33, and more notably 18-11 off the glass offensively. The battle of the boards was a key part of Troy avenging the loss earlier in the season against this Bobcats team.
Once again, it was Tylan Pope who gave Troy the most trouble. Pope was 8-12 from the floor and finished the night with 25 points and four rebounds. While he was the highest scorer for either team, the tag-team effort of Troy’s Tayton Conerway and Myles Rigsby outshined Pope’s accomplishments.
Conerway earned 24 points of his own along with five rebounds, three assists and five steals. Rigsby’s 15 points also was a major part in the Trojans’ push to the weeknight victory.
With just one game left in the regular season, Troy’s attention was focused on the road trip to Hattiesburg, Miss., to take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles last Friday night.
Despite only a 12 point win, Troy commanded the entirety of the season finale. The Golden Eagles scored the first bucket to go up 2-0 just under two minutes into the game. 20 seconds later, it was tied back up and Southern Miss would not lead again the rest of the night.
Troy managed the gap well and controlled the tempo throughout. Myles Rigsby’s 25 points and a double-double by Thomas Dowd were instrumental in getting the win. Dowd had 11 points and 12 rebounds. The game would go final with a 70-58 score in favor of the visiting Trojans.
Troy expected to know what its seeding for the conference tournament would be following the conclusion of its game, but a 2OT thriller between James Madison and Texas State had not yet finished.
Troy’s entire team watched the final moments of the game in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and when the final horn blew, Texas State had upset James Madison, taking away the chance at a solo conference title for the Dukes, and instead creating a four-way draw for the top spot in the Sun Belt, which includes Troy.
“I think our guys are definitely deserving of a championship,” said Cross, “It's a beautiful thing.
“Definitely my best day since I've been a coach here. This is what we're striving for. Hopefully we'll cut down some nets in Pensacola."
Since the tie for regular season conference championships is not broken, Troy held its celebration for the title on Monday in Trojan Arena. The team will tip off as the three seed in the tournament win the Trojans play in their quarterfinal matchup on Saturday at the Pensacola Bay Center.
Comments