Box Score
TROY, Ala. – Troy placed five in double-digit scoring and outscored the University of South Alabama men's basketball team 13-2 deep in the contest to win 80-63 Saturday afternoon at Trojan Arena.
Up eight with 8:35 left in the game, the Trojans scored six unanswered to go up 14, and after a layup from USA sophomore Josh Ajayi, Jordon Varnado and Alex Hicks combined for seven straight over a two-minute stretch to take a 74-55 lead with 3:29 left in the game.
Troy's Wesley Person led all scorers with 18 points on four 3-pointers. Kevin Baker had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and added five assists.
For the Jaguars, sophomore Trhae Mitchell and Ajayi totaled 17 points and five rebounds apiece. Mitchell didn't miss a shot, going 5 for 5 from the floor and 7 for 7 from the stripe to record a new career high, while Ajayi went 6 for 12 from the field and 5 for 5 at the stripe.
GAME FACTS
- South Alabama briefly led in the opening moments, but Troy went on a 9-0 run late in the first half to break a 27-27 tie and took a 40-32 lead into halftime
- After Person opened the second half with a trey, Ajayi and Mitchell scored the next seven points to pull the Jags within 43-39
- The Trojans scored 10 of the next 12 points thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers from Baker for a 12-point advantage at the 13:18 mark
- Just over 2 ½ minutes later, Baker hit another triple to give Troy its biggest lead of the night, 59-45
- An 8-2 USA run, capped off with a trifecta from sophomore Jordan Andrews made it a 61-53 game with 8:55 remaining, but Troy answered with its game-deciding 13-2 run
- Varnado recorded 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks, and made all seven free-throw attempts
- Alex Hicks, who had 30 points and 16 rebounds against South Alabama earlier this season in Mobile, had 14 points and six boards today
- B.J. Miller rounded out the Trojans' double-digit quintet with 13 and four steals
- Junior Rodrick Sikes was the third Jaguar in double-figure scoring with 12
NOTES
- Mitchell is averaging 14.0 points and shooting 72.7 percent from the field in his last three games, setting a new career-high in points twice over that span
- Troy snapped a three-game home losing streak to South Alabama, but the Jags are 6-2 in the last eight games in Troy
- USA fell to 0-10 this season in true road games
- Person's point total was his highest in four games vs. South Alabama since scoring 28 on Feb. 16, 2016
- The Trojans won the battle of the boards 38-33 and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds
- Sophomore Kevin Morris tied his career high with two steals
- The Jags are shooting 82.5 percent from the free-throw line in the last four games
- USA has allowed opponents to score 80 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time this season
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Matthew Graves
Opening statement: "I'm disappointed that we weren't able to get in any kind of offensive rhythm. We'd score a basket, then we'd follow it up with a turnover or a missed layup or open shot. We weren't able to get any runs of 8-2 or 10-2 to get some momentum. That affected us in certain stretches."
On Troy pulling away late: "They just made a lot of mini-runs and the next thing you know, they're up 17 points. I thought we continued to compete and fight. We got to the free-throw line, but they did beat us to a lot of 50-50 balls and offensive rebounds. That was a result of us not being able to score, unfortunately."
On the individual efforts: "I thought Josh did a nice job scoring around the rim for us. I thought he passed on a couple of 3-pointers that he should have taken earlier. He was really active for us in the post. I thought Trhae did a great job of driving the basketball and finishing at the rim. That's the kind of point production we need to get from our wing spot. As that continues, we'll get our guards to make some 3s for us as well."
UP NEXT
South Alabama returns home and hosts Little Rock on Thursday at 7:05 p.m.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Jaguar Athletic Fund (JAF) Priority Fund, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to the Priority Fund directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give
—USA—
