Troy falls to Ohio in first MAC-SBC Challenge
Published 3:36 pm Thursday, November 9, 2023
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The Troy Trojans (1-1) dropped the first game in the MAC-SBC Challenge on Wednesday, to the Ohio Bobcats (1-0), by a score of 88-70.
Ohio owned the first half, going on an 18-0 run at one point, and led 43-28 at halftime. In the second half, Troy chipped away at the lead and cut the score to within six points with just over five minutes remaining. Ohio then went on a 19-7 run to end the game and seal the 88-70 win.
Troy shot 39 percent from the field and just 27.3 percent from the three-point line and 72 percent at the free throw line, while Ohio shot 45 percent from the field and 84 percent from free throw line. The Trojans turned the ball over 17 times but only forced seven turnovers. Troy, however, won the rebound battle 40-32.
“It was a closer game than the score showed, in my opinion,” Troy Coach Scott Cross said. “But we didn’t do what we needed to do down the stretch and they did. Credit to them. We had to gamble a bit to turn the game around and unfortunately, it went the other way on us. It went south. It’s going to be a learning experience for this group. We are going to get better as the season progresses.”
Christyon Eugene led Troy with 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists; while Tayton Conerway added 13 points, four rebounds and one steal. Aamer Muhammad tallied nine points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Myles Rigsby scored nine points and grabbed four boards. For Ohio, AJ Brown scored 24 points and Elmore James scored 20 points. Both grabbed six rebounds and Brown also earned four steals.
Troy has a quit turnaround as they head to Oregon to face Oregon State at 6 p.m. on Nov. 10 in a game that will air on the Pac-12 Network.