TROY, Ala. – The Troy men’s basketball team kicked off its multi-team event – the Trojan Turkey Tipoff – with a decisive 86-72 win over UTSA on Monday night in Trojan Arena.
Troy (4-2) had a dominant shooting performance, especially from distance and had its best shooting half of the season in the final 20 minutes of the game. UTSA (1-3) did not take care of the basketball, as they turned it over 20 times. It’s the first time since March 9, 2024, that Troy has forced its opponent to turn it over 20 times.
The Trojans finished the night shooting 54.9 percent (28-51) from the field, their best shooting performance since Dec. 10, 2022, against Tennessee Tech when they shot 57.6 percent from the field. Troy was also 11-20 (55.0 percent) from distance, its best 3-point shooting performance since Nov. 22, 2021 against FAU when it was also 11-20.
Myles Rigsby had a season-high 17 points – the most by a Trojan this year – on 5-7 shooting, including 6-7 from the free-throw line. Jerrell Bellamy had the best game of his career with 15 points on 5-7 shooting. He was also 4-4 from the free throw line and had two rebounds. Also having a career night was Cooper Campbell, who had a personal-best 10 points on 3-3 shooting and 2-2 from downtown.
Tayton Conerway did a little bit of everything, recording 15 points, six rebounds, five steals and three assists. He was 7-15 from the field.
Troy came out of the gates slow on offense and was on a 3:05 scoring drought going into the first media timeout. Down 18-17 with 10:33 left in the half, Troy went on 6-0 run to take a 23-18 lead, a lead they did not relinquish the rest of the night. The Trojans closed out the final 3:30 of the half on a 11-5 run to take a 13-point lead into the break.
Rigsby had a team-high eight points in the first half, and Troy had four other players with five of more points. The Trojans shot 46.2 percent in the first 20 minutes and were 6-9 from 3-point range. UTSA was held to 40.7 percent shooting.
The second half was much more balanced, as both team’s offenses were on fire. Troy shot a blistering 64.0 percent (16-25) from the field, while UTSA sat at 46.4 percent. The Roadrunners came out fast in the first three minutes, and cut the Trojans lead to seven, forcing a Troy timeout.
With the score 48-41, Troy went on an 8-0 run to make 56-41. The Trojans led by double-digits for the remainder of the game. Conerway had nine points in the final 20 minutes, while Bellamy had eight of his 15 points in the second half.
Troy won the bench battle, outscoring UTSA’s bench 40-16. Victor Valdes had eight points off the bench for Troy, including a team-high six assists. Troy also won the paint battle, outscoring UTSA 34-18.
The Trojans held the Roadrunners to 43.6 percent (24-55) from the field. Primo Spears led the team in scoring with 20 points and is just the second player this season to score 20 or more points against Troy.
Quotable – head coach Scott Cross
“It was a really good offensive performance by our guys. One of the best all-around for 40 minutes. We did some good things defensively. We forced them to turn the ball over quite a bit. I wish we did a better job holding them to a lower percentage, and not giving up so many threes. Sometimes when we’re hitting shots, the defense drops a little bit. I told the guys this team could be really special once we put it all together.”
Up Next
The Trojans are back in action to close out the Trojan Turkey Tipoff on Friday at 1 p.m. against Merrimack. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Media Network. Live stats will be available on Troystats.com.
Notables
• Troy had its best shooting performance (54.9 percent) since it shot 57.6 percent on Dec. 10, 2022, against Tennessee Tech.
• Troy had its best 3-point shooting game (55.0 percent) since it shots 55.0 percent against FAU on Nov. 22, 2021.
• Myles Rigsby had a season-high 17 points. He has scored in double figures in all six games this season, the only player to do that.
• Jerrell Bellamy had a career-high 15 points on 5-7 shooting. Cooper Campbell had a career-high 10 points on 3-3 shooting.
• Victor Valdes had a team-high plus-26 while on the floor.
• Troy moves to 25-5 when it scores 80 or more points under Scott Cross, and 24-17 when its opponent scores 70 or more points.
• Troy had a season-high 15 steals, while forcing 20 turnovers.
• Troy is 51-21 at Trojan Arena under Scott Cross and is 2-0 to start this season. Last year, Troy was 15-2 at home.
• Troy is now 2-3 all-time against UTSA.
Troy (4-2) had a dominant shooting performance, especially from distance and had its best shooting half of the season in the final 20 minutes of the game. UTSA (1-3) did not take care of the basketball, as they turned it over 20 times. It’s the first time since March 9, 2024, that Troy has forced its opponent to turn it over 20 times.
The Trojans finished the night shooting 54.9 percent (28-51) from the field, their best shooting performance since Dec. 10, 2022, against Tennessee Tech when they shot 57.6 percent from the field. Troy was also 11-20 (55.0 percent) from distance, its best 3-point shooting performance since Nov. 22, 2021 against FAU when it was also 11-20.
Myles Rigsby had a season-high 17 points – the most by a Trojan this year – on 5-7 shooting, including 6-7 from the free-throw line. Jerrell Bellamy had the best game of his career with 15 points on 5-7 shooting. He was also 4-4 from the free throw line and had two rebounds. Also having a career night was Cooper Campbell, who had a personal-best 10 points on 3-3 shooting and 2-2 from downtown.
Tayton Conerway did a little bit of everything, recording 15 points, six rebounds, five steals and three assists. He was 7-15 from the field.
Troy came out of the gates slow on offense and was on a 3:05 scoring drought going into the first media timeout. Down 18-17 with 10:33 left in the half, Troy went on 6-0 run to take a 23-18 lead, a lead they did not relinquish the rest of the night. The Trojans closed out the final 3:30 of the half on a 11-5 run to take a 13-point lead into the break.
Rigsby had a team-high eight points in the first half, and Troy had four other players with five of more points. The Trojans shot 46.2 percent in the first 20 minutes and were 6-9 from 3-point range. UTSA was held to 40.7 percent shooting.
The second half was much more balanced, as both team’s offenses were on fire. Troy shot a blistering 64.0 percent (16-25) from the field, while UTSA sat at 46.4 percent. The Roadrunners came out fast in the first three minutes, and cut the Trojans lead to seven, forcing a Troy timeout.
With the score 48-41, Troy went on an 8-0 run to make 56-41. The Trojans led by double-digits for the remainder of the game. Conerway had nine points in the final 20 minutes, while Bellamy had eight of his 15 points in the second half.
Troy won the bench battle, outscoring UTSA’s bench 40-16. Victor Valdes had eight points off the bench for Troy, including a team-high six assists. Troy also won the paint battle, outscoring UTSA 34-18.
The Trojans held the Roadrunners to 43.6 percent (24-55) from the field. Primo Spears led the team in scoring with 20 points and is just the second player this season to score 20 or more points against Troy.
Quotable – head coach Scott Cross
“It was a really good offensive performance by our guys. One of the best all-around for 40 minutes. We did some good things defensively. We forced them to turn the ball over quite a bit. I wish we did a better job holding them to a lower percentage, and not giving up so many threes. Sometimes when we’re hitting shots, the defense drops a little bit. I told the guys this team could be really special once we put it all together.”
Up Next
The Trojans are back in action to close out the Trojan Turkey Tipoff on Friday at 1 p.m. against Merrimack. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Troy Sports Media Network. Live stats will be available on Troystats.com.
Notables
• Troy had its best shooting performance (54.9 percent) since it shot 57.6 percent on Dec. 10, 2022, against Tennessee Tech.
• Troy had its best 3-point shooting game (55.0 percent) since it shots 55.0 percent against FAU on Nov. 22, 2021.
• Myles Rigsby had a season-high 17 points. He has scored in double figures in all six games this season, the only player to do that.
• Jerrell Bellamy had a career-high 15 points on 5-7 shooting. Cooper Campbell had a career-high 10 points on 3-3 shooting.
• Victor Valdes had a team-high plus-26 while on the floor.
• Troy moves to 25-5 when it scores 80 or more points under Scott Cross, and 24-17 when its opponent scores 70 or more points.
• Troy had a season-high 15 steals, while forcing 20 turnovers.
• Troy is 51-21 at Trojan Arena under Scott Cross and is 2-0 to start this season. Last year, Troy was 15-2 at home.
• Troy is now 2-3 all-time against UTSA.
