Men's basketball trounces Pensacola Christian at home

The Troy men’s basketball team continued an impressive start to its season with a road victory over Furman 64-61 on Friday, followed by a 121-56 beatdown over Pensacola Christian at home Tuesday night. 

The Trojans are now 3-0, the team’s best start since the 2022-23 season, where Troy won its first four games of the season. Two of the first three wins this year have included go-ahead or game-tying buckets in the final minute of regulation. 

The Trojans’ trip to Furman was an action-packed battle, though it didn’t start that way. Troy quickly took charge with a 15-3 lead after the first eight minutes of play. Entering the locker room at halftime, the Scott Cross-coached team comfortably led 36-23 over the Paladins. 

Furman slowly climbed its way back into the game, with Alex Wilkins scoring 16 points with eight assists. His performance and sophomore Eddrin Bronson’s 14 points off the bench allowed Furman to tie things up 55-55 with 3:13 left to play. 

Once Troy felt the pressure, the team put the pedal down again to finish off Furman, leading by just two, Victor Valdes drilled a three-pointer to give Troy enough of a gap to hold on to win 64-61. 

Valdes finished his night with 11 points and five rebounds. It was Cooper Campbell who led the way offensively though with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists. The “Red Mamba,” as the team calls him, also accounted for three of Troy’s 13 steals. 

The Trojans then returned to play in its first home game of the season against NCCAA foe, the Pensacola Christian College Eagles. Troy clearly outmatched its opponent and used the opportunity to involve nearly the entire roster. 13 Trojans saw action, with 12 of those playing for 10 minutes or more. 

Thomas Dowd led the starting five with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists. He and the entire starting five managed to go the entire game without a turnover. Austin Cross managed 13 points from the bench, a career high for the son of the head coach. 

“We like to see him have success, but our success is as a team.” Cross said. “Of course I want him to be successful, but at the end of the day it's about helping us win basketball games, and he did that tonight.”  

It was a clean shutout for the first six minutes of the game, with Troy leading 20-0. The gap only continued to widen as the game went on, leading to the 121-56 victory. 

The Trojans are carrying the momentum now into a six-game road trip. The team will be out of town from Nov. 12 until Thanksgiving, with four games across the Los Angeles area, and two more at the Coconut Hoops Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. They will not play at home again until Dec. 1, when the Trojans face West Georgia. 

Troy tips off its road trip with Loyola-Marymount University on Friday, Nov. 14 at 9 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Media Network.