Trojans cruise to 97-70 victory in exhibition contest
Published 3:00 am Friday, November 6, 2015
TROY, Alabama – All 13 Troy men’s basketball players scored as it cruised to a 97-70 victory over AUM on Thursday night at Trojan Arena. Five Trojans scored in double figures, led by freshman Jordon Varnado in his debut as he recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Jeremy Hollimon and Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team selection Wesley Person added 14 and 10 points, respectively while Aaron Ariri and Damion Ottman scored in double figures with 13 and 10 points, coming off the bench.
Coming out of the break, the Trojans and Warhawks traded buckets. At 65-37 Troy went on a 11-2 run and never looked back.
In the first half, Troy quickly took a 19-6 lead thanks to hot shooting from its starters and a 3-plus minute scoring drought by AUM.
The Trojans went on a scoring drought of their own, allowing the Warhawks to chip away at the lead, making the score 25-14 with just under eight minutes to play in the first. An 11-0 run by the Trojans forced a Warhawk timeout at 38-14 with 4:37 on the clock.
At the half, Troy led 47-24. In an explosive first half, the Trojans shot 60 percent (6-of-10) from downtown, and 48.4 percent (15-of-31) from the court, while holding the Warhawks to 28.6 percent (10-of-35) from the floor, and 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from 3-point range.
The Trojans held the Warhawks to 31.0 percent (22-of-71) from the field in the game, the lowest percentage since it held Huntingdon to 32.3 percent in 2010.
In the win, Troy shot 50 percent (11-of-22) from long range, and 29-of-66 (43.9 percent) from the floor. From the charity strip, the Trojans shot 28-of-36 (77.8 percent), including a 9-of-10 effort by Ariri.
Varnado ended the night 4-of-9 from the field and 2-of-2 from deep. Troy totaled seven blocks in the game, five coming from Varnado.
Troy’s 97 points would be the second most during Cunningham’s tenure, and the most scored since the Trojans dropped 102 against Lagrange on November 11, 2013.
The Warhawks were led by Desmond DeRamus, who tallied 14 points on the night. Paul Harris reeled in a team-high six boards.
Troy opens its regular season on the road at South Florida on November 13. Tip between the Trojans and Bulls is set for 7:30 p.m.
Troy returns home for its home opener on Sunday, November 15, for a matchup against Reinhardt.