Trojans earn nationally-televised win over Akron

Following back-to-back losses, Troy men’s basketball returned to the win column against Georgia State and Akron, with the win over the Zips being on national television. 

The Trojans battled Georgia State in Atlanta on Wednesday night. While the Scott Cross-coached team was tied in the half, they quickly hopped out on an 11-0 run that would stick for a 74-63 win. 

“Our guys defended at a high level today, but what won us the game was our offensive rebounding.” Cross said. “Credit to our guys – Victor [Valdes] and Thomas [Dowd] set the tone.” 

Thomas Dowd accounted for 15 rebounds while Valdes had five along with two steals. The duo finished with 16 and 12 points, respectively. It’s the third time this season that Dowd has posted 15 or more points and rebounds in the same game this season. 

Troy then set its sights on a home battle with the Akron Zips. As part two of the MAC-SBC Challenge, Troy’s 79-69 win helped cement a 14-12 victory for the Sun Belt over the MAC this season. 

Airing on ESPN2, it was the first time Troy had played a home game on national television since February 2022 against Texas State. In front of a crowd of 3,712 at Trojan Arena, the Trojans put on a show for fans watching in person and across the nation. 

Akron jumped out to an early 18-8 lead in the first half. Troy’s 13-3 run shortly after would tie things up and eventually lead to an advantage for the home team entering the locker room, 35-29. 

The second half then became the Cooper Campbell show. The “Red Mamba” fired off 10 made shots including five three pointers on nine attempts. He closed the game with a 25-point showcase. Troy shot 52percent from long range on the evening

The Trojans would secure the 79-69 win to end a nine-game winning streak for Akron. 

“Last week we were worried about points, momentum, officials points, you name it instead of making each other better.” Cross said. “We saw that change against Georgia State and again today.” 

Entering the game, Akron was 54th in the NET rankings. This marks the second highest NET ranked team that Troy has beaten this year, behind then-29th ranked San Diego State.

It is also the second Quadrant 2 victory for the team this year, making Troy the only team in the Sun Belt Conference to have two Quadrant 2 wins. The Trojans already were the only team in the conference to have a Quad 1 win as well. 

Troy still sits atop the Sun Belt standings with just six games left in the regular season. The team now begins a four-game road stretch beginning with Texas State on Wednesday night.

Troy will battle Southern Miss on Saturday, then ULM and South Alabama next week before finally returning home for the final two home games of the year. 

The Trojans tip off against Texas State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in San Marcos, Texas. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Media Network.