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The Troy Trojans men’s basketball team (8-6, 2-0) remain undefeated in Sun Belt Conference action after picking up a resounding 86-73 win over the Old Dominion Monarchs (4-10, 0-2) on Thursday.

The Troy win marks Troy’s first 2-0 start in conference play since 2010. Troy shot 52.9 percent in the first half and led 55-34 at halftime after both Myles Rigsby and Tayton Conerway scored 13 points each in the first half.

While Troy turned the ball over a number of times in the second half – and shot just 34.4 percent from the field in the second half – the Trojans still held off a comeback attempt from Old Dominion to secure the win. Much of that was due to Troy forcing 18 turnovers with 11 of those coming on steals. Troy also won the rebound battle 46-35 and outscored the Monarchs 32-24 in the paint.

“I’m happy we got the victory. Wasn’t real happy the second half and the way we played,” Troy Coach Scott Cross said. “I thought we got very sloppy and very lackadaisical. We didn’t defend the way we needed to. We gave up way too many three-point shots. We let them get above 40 percent shooting.

“Those areas it was disappointing, but we won and wins are hard to come by.  We did some good things offensively. We’ve got a great opportunity on Saturday against App State, who is one of the top teams in the league.”

Dothan native Thomas Dowd earned his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds along with a blocked shot and a steal, while Conerway led Troy with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting on the night. Rigsby earned 13 points, four assists, two steals and two rebounds, while Jackson Fields tallied a career high 13 points with seven rebounds and three blocks. Marcus Rigsby Jr. also earned six points, three assists and four steals in the win.

Troy is back at home this Saturday to host Appalachian State at 3:33 p.m. in a game that will air on ESPN+.