Troy 78, Old Dominion 71: The Trojans won their second straight Sun Belt Conference game by playing shutdown defense in the first meeting between the two schools. Troy limited the Monarchs to 34.5% shooting from the field, which pleased head coach Scott Cross.
“This is a team I can identify with,” Cross said in a story on the Troy athletics website. “We sat here and had this discussion after Mercer (just before SBC play began). I didn't know what it was, but our guys have gotten back to their roots. I've gotten back to who I am as a coach. I feel confident because I feel like we can get defensive stops. And when you hold a team to 34.5% from the field, you're going to have a good chance to win.”
About the only thing that the Troy defense couldn’t do was stop Old Dominion’s Tyreek Scott-Grayson, a former UAB player, who had 31 points on 8-of-13 from the field, 5-of-7 on 3-pointers and 10-of-10 from the free throw line.
The Trojans (10-6 overall, 2-1 C-USA) still found a way to win. Nelson Phillips had 17 points, six rebounds and two steals. Phillips' steal and dunk with just over a minute left finally put the game on ice. Old Dominion fell to 9-6 overall and 1-2 in Sun Belt Conference.
South Alabama 63, Arkansas State 45: The Jaguars got their first SBC win behind the play of Isaiah Moore and Kevin Samuel. Moore had a game-high 20 points while Samuel had 12 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots.
“I can't tell you how impressed I was with our resiliency to bounce back and play the way we did tonight,” said South Alabama head coach Richie Riley, whose team improved to 7-8 overall and 1-2 in conference. “Defensively, it was as good as we've played. What that tells me about our group is that they were not only listening when we talked to them, but they made it their mission to come out and play with that fight, energy, and attention to detail.”
Lipscomb 86, UNA 62: Lipscomb broke into the ASUN Conference win column by running away from the Lions in the second half. Lipscomb outscored UNA, 55-38, in the second half.
UNA was 4-of-20 on 3-pointers with Dallas Howell hitting three of those. Will Soucie had a team-best 13 points while Jacari Lane was the only other Lion in double-digit scoring with 10 points. Both teams are 9-7 overall and 1-2 in conference.
Liberty 75, Jacksonville State 41: The Gamecocks (7-9 overall, 0-3 conference) remain winless in ASUN play while Liberty (12-4 overall, 3-0 conference) stays on top of the standings.
Jacksonville State had just four field goals in the first half and trailed, 38-13, at halftime. Skylear Potter, who had 11 points, was the lone JSU player in double digits.
Valdosta State 99, UAH 77: A close game at halftime time turned into a runaway win for Valdosta State, which improved to 11-6 overall and 7-4 in Gulf South Conference play. Valdosta State led, 43-42, at halftime but hot shooting in the second half, coupled with frigid shooting by the Chargers, was the difference.
Valdosta State hit 56% from the field, including 50% on 3-pointers, after halftime. In that same span, UAH made 31% from the field and 20% on 3-pointers.
Chaney Johnson had 15 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists but played just 21 minutes and ended with four fouls. Max Shulman and Tanner Shulman each hit 4 3-pointers to finish with 12 points.
UAH (13-4 overall, 8-3 GSC) drops into a three-way tie for second place. Valdosta (11-6 overall, 7-4 GSC) is alone in sixth place.
West Alabama 60, West Florida 52: West Alabama is tied for first place in the GSC with Lee University after the Tigers extended their winning streak to seven games. West Alabama (13-2 overall, 9-2 GSC) led 29-20, at halftime and came away with the win despite West Florida keeping it close for most of the second half.
C.J. Melton had 18 points and nine rebounds for West Alabama, while Justin Allison chipped in 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email steve.irvine@1819news.com.
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