Men’s basketball team drops fifth straight

The Troy men’s basketball team had a disappointing weekend, falling at Georgia State 68-72 on Thursday, Jan. 7, and at Georgia Southern 88-93 on Saturday, Jan. 9.

The Trojans (5-10, 0-4 Sun Belt) looked to snap their three-game losing streak in their matchup against the Panthers (9-3, 2-1 Sun Belt). Troy started rough, though, connecting only three of its first 21 field goal attempts.

Sophomore guard Wesley Person helped keep Troy in the game, leading his team with 21 points and seven rebounds, almost a third of the team’s total score.

Fifteen of the points scored came from five of eight shooting from beyond the arc. Following Person in total points was senior forward John Walton III, who contributed 16 points. Scoring in the first half of the game was a struggle for the Trojans, who went into halftime on the short end of a 38-19 score.

The Trojans made adjustments in the second half, however, and were able to generate a solid offensive attack behind Person and Walton, who scored 14 points in the half.

The Trojans battled hard in the closing minutes, cutting Georgia State’s lead to just four with 10 seconds remaining in the game, but good free-throw shooting down the stretch was all the Panthers needed to seal the victory.

Junior forward Jeremy Hollowell led the Panthers with 22 points.

Just two days later, the Trojans made the trip to Statesboro, Georgia, to take on the Eagles (5-9, 1-3 Sun Belt).

For this matchup, Troy came out with a more balanced scoring attack, which very nearly resulted in a road conference victory. Person was yet again the top scorer of the game with 19 points.

Freshman forward Jordan Varnado followed with 18 points, while freshman guard B.J. Miller scored 17 points.

Georgia Southern took advantage of another slow defensive start from the Trojans, and after the first half, the Eagles had earned themselves a 15-point edge over the visiting Trojans.

It was at this point that Troy began to chip away at the deficit. A combined 21 points from Person and Walton in the second half helped trim the lead down to just one with 3:11 left in regulation.

With 24 seconds left, Person hit a jump shot to tie the game at 81, forcing overtime and giving the Trojans a chance to complete the comeback. Troy earned its first lead of the game to start overtime, but was eventually outscored 12-7 by the Eagles, as the Trojans suffered their second overtime loss of the season.

Troy will look to get back on track at home, and is set to play in the Trojan Arena against UT-Arlington on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 7:30 p.m. and against Texas State on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 4:15 p.m.