Troy beats Jacksonville State in triple overtime

The Troy Trojans (4-2) battled historical rival Jacksonville State Gamecocks to a wild 73-70 win in triple overtime.

The triple overtime game was Troy’s first triple overtime game in school history and the first game to go into more than one overtime since 2013.

Troy took a slim 22-20 lead into halftime and the Gamecocks would outscore the Trojans 29-27 in the second half to end regulation knotted up 49-49. Jacksonville State actually went on a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to go up 36-30. Troy’s Duke Deen then knocked down a pair of threes to tie the score 36-36 before Nick Stampley hit a layup to give Troy a 38-36 lead.

Jacksonville State built up another lead with less than three minutes remaining but Deen led Troy back to within five points with under a minute remaining. Christyon Eugene knocked down a three-pointer to cut the lead to two and then Odigie tied the score up 49-49 with less than 30 seconds remaining. Neither side was able to sink another basket leading to the first overtime.

With Troy leading 55-53 with just 6.5 seconds left, Jacksonville State earned two points at the free throw line to tie the score 55-55 to send the game into double overtime.

With Troy trailing 61-57, Khalyl Waters knocked down one free throw but missed his second only to get his own rebound. Deen then drilled a three-pointer to tie the score 61-61 with 30 seconds remaining. Jacksonville State missed a pair of free throws and Stampley blocked a last-second Gamecock shot to send the game into the third overtime.

In a battle of free throws in the final overtime period, Troy managed to hang on and pick up the 69-65 win.

“There were so many times throughout the game that we looked dead in the water,” Troy coach Scott Cross said. “Our guys found a way to win, and it’s a tribute to their competitiveness and toughness, and it shows the character of our basketball team.”

Duke led Troy with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Odigie scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Zay Williams also chipped in with 12 points and 11 rebounds with three blocked shots.

The Trojans followed up with an appearance at the Paradise Classic Boca Rotan, Fla. Nov. 19-22. Troy went 2-1 in the series falling to North Dakota 74-72 before knocking off Tennessee-Martin 80-67 and host school Florida-Atlantic 83-78.

Against North Dakota, Odigie and Punter scored 15 points each, while Deen scored 13 points and dished six assists. Against UT-Martin, Deen scored 17 points, Desmond Williams scored 16 points and Odigie scored 15 points. Williams also scored seven points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Against FAU, Deen scored 17 points again, while Duke Miles added 16 points and Williams scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds. TK Smith also scored 11 points.

Troy is back in Florida on Nov. 28 to face off against the SEC’s Florida Gators at 11 a.m. in a game that will be nationally televised on the SEC Network.

After suffering their first loss of the season against Mercer on Nov. 15, the Lady Trojans (3-1) bounced back to pick up an 84-58 win over Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 18.

Troy trailed 19-18 against Bethune-Cookman going into the second quarter, but the Trojans bounced back to outscore them 16-14 in the second quarter to take a 34-33 lead into halftime. Troy dominated the second half, outscoring Bethune-Cookman 50-25 in the half, to to secure the win. That win notched Lady Trojan head coach Chanda Rigby her 400th career win.

Felmas Koranga led the Lady Trojans with 16 points and 19 rebounds, while Brianna Harris came off the bench to score 14 points and grab six rebounds. Amber Leggett added 11 points and six rebounds, while Tiyah Johnson added 10 points and five rebounds.

The Trojans will be honoring the 30th anniversary of the “Unbreakable Record” of the most points scored in an NCAA basketball game on Jan. 15.

On Jan. 12, 1992, Troy State University defeated DeVry University by an eye-popping score of 258-130. The 258 points shattered the previous NCAA record for points scored in a game of 187 – which was also set by Troy in 1991 – and the Trojans also scored the most points in a half with 135 points. Those Trojans also set the record for most field goals in a game, most field goals attempted in a game and most three pointers in a game. The 1992 Troy team also set the NCAA record of 121 points per game.

On Jan. 12, Troy will honor that 1992 team before the Trojans host Georgia State by wearing throwback “Troy State” style jerseys and members of the 1992 team will be honored before and during the game. Additionally, Troy will be giving out free T-shirts for the first 2,000 fans to enter Trojan arena that will commemorate the 1992 game.