troymarkus
01-07-2005, 08:15 PM
We won tonight at Stetson!! Two conference wins in a row on the road!! I'm feeling much better about the team! The win tonight was ugly, but I'll take any W at this point!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 7, 2005
Contact: Josh Underwood
Phone: (334) 670-5655
e-mail: junderwood11384@troyst.edu
Troy holds off Stetson to close road trip
DeLAND, Fla. – Just two days after an impressive offensive performance against Jacksonville, the Troy University men’s basketball team had to fight a late Stetson rally to claim its eighth-straight win over the Hatters, 56-53, and their fourth Straight in the Edmunds Center on Friday night.
The Trojans (4-9, 2-2 Atlantic Sun) let a double-digit lead dwindle to two late in the second half, but they held on to down the Hatters (4-7, 2-2 A-Sun) and get back to .500 in A-Sun play. The win caps a seven-game road trip for the Trojans that spanned over 3,000 total miles.
“I thought we played much better basketball than we did against Jacksonville,” Troy head coach Don Maestri said. “I thought we controlled the basketball and had some good looks at the basket. This is as poorly as Stetson has played all season to our benefit, but our kids really played hard to get a big win.”
Junior Jacob Hazouri, after a career-high 29 points on Wednesday, led all scorers with 15 points and helped hold the Hatters to their second-lowest output of the season. Hazouri, a native of Pace, Fla., led four Trojans in double figures on the night. Seniors Corey Hornsby and Ryan Heck and junior Bobby Dixon each added 10 points.
The Hatters pulled to within two and had opportunities to win the game, and they didn’t help themselves at the free-throw line, shooting just 55 percent from the charity stripe. The Hatters, however, were the real story from the free-throw line.
As a team, Stetson was shooting 74 percent from the line on the year, but a dismal 3-for-8 showing (38 percent) proved to hurt the Hatters’ chances.
The Trojans were forced to make plays in the half-court offense, thanks to Stetson’s zone defense, but it was the Trojans’ transition game that allowed them to create space between them and the home team. Troy forced 19 turnovers by Stetson, almost six more than their average.
Stetson jumped out early, but the Trojans maintained the tempo for the remainder of the half. They created problems for Stetson’s offense and made crucial shots after working the shot clock to take a 25-19 lead into the half.
The Trojans would once again pull away to start the second half, but they would watch the Hatters cut the lead to one possession several times in the final few minutes. The Hatters, however, couldn’t break the Trojan defense late to get a good shot to tie the game or take the lead, allowing the Trojans to hold on for their third win in their last four games.
The Trojans will return home on Monday when they play host Gardner-Webb, the current A-Sun leader, at 7 p.m. CT at Trojan Arena. It will be the first home game for the Trojans in 37 days, with their last home game coming against Lipscomb on Dec. 4.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 7, 2005
Contact: Josh Underwood
Phone: (334) 670-5655
e-mail: junderwood11384@troyst.edu
Troy holds off Stetson to close road trip
DeLAND, Fla. – Just two days after an impressive offensive performance against Jacksonville, the Troy University men’s basketball team had to fight a late Stetson rally to claim its eighth-straight win over the Hatters, 56-53, and their fourth Straight in the Edmunds Center on Friday night.
The Trojans (4-9, 2-2 Atlantic Sun) let a double-digit lead dwindle to two late in the second half, but they held on to down the Hatters (4-7, 2-2 A-Sun) and get back to .500 in A-Sun play. The win caps a seven-game road trip for the Trojans that spanned over 3,000 total miles.
“I thought we played much better basketball than we did against Jacksonville,” Troy head coach Don Maestri said. “I thought we controlled the basketball and had some good looks at the basket. This is as poorly as Stetson has played all season to our benefit, but our kids really played hard to get a big win.”
Junior Jacob Hazouri, after a career-high 29 points on Wednesday, led all scorers with 15 points and helped hold the Hatters to their second-lowest output of the season. Hazouri, a native of Pace, Fla., led four Trojans in double figures on the night. Seniors Corey Hornsby and Ryan Heck and junior Bobby Dixon each added 10 points.
The Hatters pulled to within two and had opportunities to win the game, and they didn’t help themselves at the free-throw line, shooting just 55 percent from the charity stripe. The Hatters, however, were the real story from the free-throw line.
As a team, Stetson was shooting 74 percent from the line on the year, but a dismal 3-for-8 showing (38 percent) proved to hurt the Hatters’ chances.
The Trojans were forced to make plays in the half-court offense, thanks to Stetson’s zone defense, but it was the Trojans’ transition game that allowed them to create space between them and the home team. Troy forced 19 turnovers by Stetson, almost six more than their average.
Stetson jumped out early, but the Trojans maintained the tempo for the remainder of the half. They created problems for Stetson’s offense and made crucial shots after working the shot clock to take a 25-19 lead into the half.
The Trojans would once again pull away to start the second half, but they would watch the Hatters cut the lead to one possession several times in the final few minutes. The Hatters, however, couldn’t break the Trojan defense late to get a good shot to tie the game or take the lead, allowing the Trojans to hold on for their third win in their last four games.
The Trojans will return home on Monday when they play host Gardner-Webb, the current A-Sun leader, at 7 p.m. CT at Trojan Arena. It will be the first home game for the Trojans in 37 days, with their last home game coming against Lipscomb on Dec. 4.