Southern Miss
Troy
Three-Ball Costly as Basketball Falls at Troy
12/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TROY, Ala. - The Troy basketball team's 13 three pointers proved to be too much as Southern Miss dropped a 69-59 decision on the road at Trojan Arena in Troy, Ala. The Golden Eagles (0-5) posted several runs, including a 15-3 run to end the game, but were unable to overcome an early Trojan (4-3) lead.
"The first five minutes got us in trouble," head coach Doc Sadler said after the game. "We need to take control in the first five minutes of the basketball game. You can't give teams a double-digit lead and then play catch up the whole ballgame, especially on the road.
"You have to be with these guys every day to see that there is improvement. The effort is there. If it was just about the effort, we would be 5-0 or 4-1. It is more than just competing and playing hard. We have to realize that."
The Golden Eagles were led by a trio of student-athletes who netted double figures. Keljin Blevins became the first player this season to record a double-double, notching 12 points and 11 rebounds on the night. In addition, Blevins added two blocked shots, an assist, and a steal in 31 minutes of action.
After setting a career high in points against Morehead State (9 pts), Kourtlin Jackson set a new career mark with 15 points, while Quinton Campbell posted his first double-digit performance in a Golden Eagle uniform with 12 points. Eddie Davis III finished the game with nine rebounds just behind Blevins.
For Troy, Jordon Varnado led all scorers with 17 points and finished with a game-high 13 rebounds. Jeremy Hollimon and Wesley Person had 14 and 12 points, respectively, and John Walton III grabbed 11 boards.
The Trojans took the early lead, jumping out in front 13-0 in the first four minutes of the game. The Golden Eagles rallied and outscored the home team 12-6 over the next six minutes, trimming the deficit to 19-12. Over the next four minutes, Troy used three treys to help extend its advantage to 28-13 with just over five minutes to play in the first half. In the final five minutes of the first half, Southern Miss used an 8-3 run to close the gap to 10 at intermission, 31-21. In the first half, Troy connected on seven three-pointers, compared to just two by Southern Miss.
The second half began with a 6-0 run by the Golden Eagles to cut the deficit to just four points. After forcing a turnover, Southern Miss used a trey by Khari Price to open the half. The Golden Eagles used a defensive stop to set up Campbell for a triple to trim the home team's advantage to 31-27.
The Trojans responded with a three and used a 7-0 run to extend the lead back to 11 points. Robert Thomas III answered with a three-pointer of his own, but a second Troy triple in 30 seconds pushed the deficit back to double digits. The three-ball sparked a 12-0 run by the Trojans.
The Golden Eagles cut the lead down to 16 on two occasions before six straight points gave the Trojans their largest lead of the night, 66-44, with 3:35 to play.
Southern Miss closed out the final 3:30 with a 15-3 run. Jackson began the run by draining a pair of free throws. Blevins converted an "and one" opportunity after a fast break layup. Back-to-back steals led to consecutive dunks by Jackson to cut the margin to just 13.
The Trojans used three consecutive free throws to extend the lead, but the Golden Eagles closed out the game scoring the final six points. Michael Ramey drilled a three from the corner with 58 seconds remaining and Thomas connected on his second triple of the night with just 16 ticks left to provide the final score of 69-59.
Southern Miss returns home on Friday, Dec. 4 as the Golden Eagles host Alabama at Reed Green Coliseum. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
