Troy Athletics

San Marco, Texas-Troy will aim to pick up the first road Sun Belt win of the year with a trip to San Marcos on Saturday to take on Texas State for the first time since the two teams met in the Sun Belt Championship in March.

The Trojans (7-9, 1-2) had the opportunity to knock off the preseason favorite in UT Arlington on Thursday after trailing by just two with five minutes left, but the Mavericks went on a late run to seal an 86-76 win in their first home conference game.

That loss snapped the momentum Troy had picked up after notching a 19-point comeback victory against Georgia State on Sunday, highlighted by a dunk by B.J. Miller that landed him at No. 6 on the final Top 10 Plays in 2017 on SportsCenter.

Alex Hicks had one of his best Sun Belt performances after scoring 21 points for just his second-ever 20-point game.

Thursday’s game was the first time Jordon Varnado started since returning to action after missing even games with a  foot injury. He has scored in double-digits in his first three games back and had provided needed help in the rebounding category.

Texas State (9-7, 2-1) have won back-to-back games over Coastal Carolina and South Alabama after dropping the conference opener to Appalachian State. The Bobcats have won four of the past five games dating back to non-conference play.

Tip is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and it can be seen on ESPN3.