Troy holds off Southern Miss 70-58, secures share of Sun Belt regular-season title
Troy took care of business in a 70-58 victory at Southern Miss on Friday night, then picked up some hardware thanks to a dramatic turn of events two states away.
Texas State knocked off first-place James Madison 102-93 in double-overtime in San Marcos, Texas, handing the Trojans a share of the Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship. The Trojans (20-10, 13-5) finish in a four-way tie with JMU, South Alabama and Arkansas State, and will be the No. 3 seed for next week’s Sun Belt tournament in Pensacola, Fla.
Troy — which shared in the Sun Belt title for the first time since 2010 — reached the 20-win mark for the fourth straight year under coach Scott Cross, who also recorded his 100th victory with the Trojans on Friday. The Trojans get a bye all the way to the Sun Belt tournament quarterfinal round, which takes place Saturday, March 8, at Pensacola Bay Center.
On Friday, Myles Rigsby scored a game-high 25 points as the Trojans pulled away in the final 20 minutes after leading by six at halftime. Thomas Dowd added a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Tayton Conerway chipped in 11 points, seven boards and three assists.
Denijay Harris led Southern Miss with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Jett Montgomery added 13 points and Neftali Alvarez 10. The Golden Eagles (10-21, 5-13) ended the regular season on an eight-game losing streak.
Here’s the complete schedule for the Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournament (all times Central):
Tuesday, March 4
Game 1 – (12) Southern Miss vs. (13) Coastal Carolina – 5 p.m. [ESPN+]
Game 2 – (11) Louisiana vs. (14) ULM – 7:30 p.m. [ESPN+]
Wednesday, March 5
Game 3 – (9) Georgia Southern vs. Winner Game 1 – 5 p.m. [ESPN+]
Game 4 – (10) Old Dominion vs. Winner Game 2 – 7:30 p.m. [ESPN+]
Thursday, March 6
Game 5 – (8) Georgia State vs. Winner Game 3 – 5 p.m. [ESPN+]
Game 6 – (7) Texas State vs. Winner Game 4 – 7:30 p.m. [ESPN+]
Friday, March 7
Game 7 – (5) Marshall vs. Winner Game 5 – 5 p.m. [ESPN+]
Game 8 – (6) App State vs. Winner Game 6 – 7:30 p.m. [ESPN+]
Saturday, March 8
Game 9 – (4) Arkansas State vs. Winner Game 7 – 5 p.m. [ESPN+]
Game 10 – (3) Troy vs. Winner Game 8 – 7:30 p.m. [ESPN+]
Sunday, March 9
Game 11 – (1) South Alabama vs. Winner Game 9 – 5 p.m. [ESPN+]
Game 12 – (2) James Madison vs. Winner Game 10 – 7:30 p.m. [ESPN+]
Monday, March 10 (Championship)
Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 6 p.m. CT [ESPN/ESPN2]