Troy knocks off Alcorn State in 2OTs
Published 10:56 pm Monday, December 2, 2013
All five Troy starters scored in double figures, and Troy needed every bit of those points to escape with a win Monday night at Trojan Arena.
Troy knocked off Alcorn State 73-70 in double overtime Monday night to even its record at 3-3.
“It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it was a win,” said Troy head coach Phil Cunningham. “Right now, for our guys, we needed a win. We needed to have a good feeling when we left the locker room, and it doesn’t matter how pretty it is. If you leave that locker room with a win, you feel good about yourself.”
Wes Hinton tipped in a missed lay in from Kevin Thomas with just four seconds left to send the game to the first overtime. Troy had to once again scratch its way back in late in the first overtime.
The Trojans trailed by five points with 2:17 to play, but hit five-of-six from the free throw line down the stretch to send the game to a second extra period.
Antoine “Fresh” Myers, who led all scorers with 19 points, said Cunningham and staff emphasize free throws.
“I’m just going to say ‘16s in practice’,” Myers said. “We run lines whenever we miss.”
Troy shot 82 percent from the charity stripe in the game.
Myers led Troy with 18 points. Hinton and Thomas added 15 each, while J.C. Bonny dropped in 12 and Hunter Williams scored 10.
Hinton said he “didn’t want to lose,” and “tried his hardest to go get it” on the final play of regulation to give Troy the tie.
The win was Troy’s first double overtime game since falling to Utah Valley 86-82 last season at home.
Myers said he remembered the loss last season, but was quickly gone.
“That game kind of popped in my head when we went to double overtime,” Myers said. “I wasn’t about to go home with another loss like that.”
Troy hit just three of 23 attempted three pointers, their lowest margin of the season.
With the win the Trojans move to 3-3, and prepare for in-state rival Alabama State on Saturday.
Troy split with the Hornets last season, winning at 66-62 and losing on the road 74-68.
“The lost last Tuesday (on the road at Central Arkansas) hurt our confidence,” Cunningham said. “We needed to bounce back and get a win. Basketball is a game where confidence is big. We were beat there late, and pulled out a win.”
The Trojans and Hornets are set for a 1 p.m. tip Saturday at Trojan Arena.