Men's basketball drops games on the road

Troy men’s basketball stumbled last week with back-to-back road losses to Southern Miss and Texas State, falling 69-65 and 74-62, respectively. 

The Trojans had seemingly righted the ship with two consecutive wins in the week prior, but the momentum came to a halt in the 74-62 loss to Texas State on Wednesday night. 

The Bobcats pounced to an early lead, 16-8 after the first eight minutes of play. Texas State never let up, leading by as much as 17 in the second half. For the first time all season, Troy never led in the game. 

“Texas State was a more physical, tougher team than us,” said head coach Scott Cross. “Mentally, it didn't seem like we were ready to play. 

“It wasn't our night.” 

Victor Valdes drives into the paint against Akron. (Troy Athletics photo)

Troy could not stop Texas State’s elite shooting night. The Terrance Johnson-coached team shot 60% from the floor. DJ Hall led the way, going 9-for-15 and scoring 21 points. 

Troy’s Victor Valdes managed a 22-point showing, but only two others scored over double digits. Theo Seng and Cooper Campbell totaled 14 and 10 points, respectively. 

The struggles continued on Saturday in Hattiesburg, Miss. against Southern Miss. The Trojans lost for the fourth time in the last six games, 69-65. 

Troy once again found itself trailing early, but managed to battle back with a 9-2 run in the final minutes of the opening half to tie it at 26 each. Troy managed to gain an eight-point lead with just eight minutes to go. The Golden Eagles outscored Troy the rest of the way by a 25-13 margin to hand the Trojans their second straight loss. 

“I don't think our guys played with the level of grit and toughness that we need to win on the road,” Cross said. “We lost tonight rebounding the basketball, and it’s disappointing.” 

Southern Miss outrebounded Troy offensively 18-13. The Golden Eagles scored 20 second-chance points compared to just nine for Troy. 

Troy struggled to stop USM’s Tylik Weeks and Djahi Binet. Weeks’ 32 points combined with Binet’s double-double of 14 points and 18 rebounds made it tough on the Trojan defense. 

Troy again had a nearly even spread of points between the eight players who saw action.

Only Victor Valdes and Thomas Dowd reached double figures, with Valdes scoring 10 and Dowd having a team-leading 13. 

The Trojans have lost their lead in the Sun Belt standings and now sit tied for second with South Alabama. Both the Trojans and Jaguars are 0.5 games back from App State currently. Troy will have a chance to get back on track in two crucial games this week on the road against ULM and South Alabama. Troy already played and beat South Alabama in January, 59-49. 

“We're now playing with our backs against the wall.” Cross said. “It's not going to be an easy road, but the only thing that matters is finding a way to beat ULM."  

Troy tips off against ULM on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and against South Alabama on Saturday at 3 p.m.