Troy (4-2) opened the event with an impressive shooting night that led to an 86-72 win over UTSA on Monday night. The Trojans got good scoring from all three levels, especially from 3-point range.
Merrimack (1-6) is coming off a close 76-74 loss against UTSA inside Trojan Arena on Wednesday afternoon. The Warriors trailed by as much as 16 in the first half and led by 11 with 2:00 left in regulation, but UTSA caught fire from distance and were able to sneak out the win to leave the Trojan Turkey Tipoff 1-1.
Game Information
The Matchup: Merrimack (1-6) at Troy (4-2)
When: Friday, November 29 | 1 p.m.
Where: Troy, Ala. | Trojan Arena (5,200)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Media Network
Live stats: Troystats.com
Holiday Hoops
The Trojans are looking for their second win on Black Friday in as many years. Troy closed the Trojan Classic last year with a Friday night win over Grambling State. On Monday night in Trojan Arena, Troy was on fire from the field – especially in the second half – to put away a talented UTSA squad.
Troy shot a season-best 55.0 percent (11-20) shooting clip from distance, its best 3-point shooting performance since Nov. 22, 2021, against FAU when it was also 11-20. Cooper Campbell, Theo Seng and Victor Valdes each made a pair of threes, while five other Trojans added one.
In total, the Trojans were 28-51 (54.9 percent) from the field, which was its best shooting night since they shot 57.6 percent against Tennessee Tech on Dec. 10, 2022. Myles Rigsby had a season-high 17 points – the most by a Trojan this season – and is the only player on the team to score in double-digits in every game this season. Jerrell Bellamy had a career-high 15 points on 5-7 shooting, while going a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line. Also having a career-night for the Trojans was Cooper Campbell, who recorded the first 10-point performance of his young collegiate career.
The Trojans also forced UTSA into 20 turnovers – 15 of which came on steals. This season, Troy is 3-1 when its opponents have 16 or more turnovers. Through six games, Troy is 53rd nationally in turnovers forced per game (15.67), a mark that is also atop the Sun Belt. Troy also leads the conference and is 21st nationally in steals per game with 10.5 per game.
Distributing the basketball has also been an area of strength for Troy in the young season, as its averaging a conference-best 15.3 assists per game. Tayton Conerway is leading the SBC in assists per game at 5.0 – 67th nationally – and is second in the conference in total assists with 30 – 87th in the country.
Scouting Merrimack
Merrimack dominated the second half of its game against UTSA and seemed to be en route to a big victory, but the Roadrunners caught fire late and overcame an 11-point deficit to win. The Warriors were led by Adam Clark, who had 28 points.
Clark, like Troy’s Conerway, was named to the Lou Henson Early Season Watch List, which lists the top 50 mid-major players in the country.
Merrimack is struggling to score the ball this season, averaging just 59.1 points this season. Troy is 1-0 all-time against Merrimack, defeating the Warriors in Trojan Arena in November of 2022.
Notables
• Scott Cross is in his sixth season at the helm for Troy men’s basketball, and his 18th as a Division I men’s basketball head coach. While at Troy he has put together an 84-78 record, which includes three straight seasons of 20 or more wins. In each of those three seasons, he has also led the Trojans to 10 or more conference wins.
• Troy is 2-0 at home this season and is 51-20 in Trojan Arena under head coach Scott Cross.
• Troy opened the Trojan Turkey Tipoff on Monday with a 16-point win over UTSA. The Trojans had their best shooting performance (54.9 percent) since 2022 against Tennessee Tech (57.6 percent).
• Myles Rigsby had a season-high 17 points against UTSA. He has scored in double-figures in every single game this season.
• Troy is 3-1 when its opponents have 16 or more turnovers. Through six games, Troy is 53rd nationally in turnovers forced per game (15.67), a mark that is also atop the Sun Belt. Troy also leads the conference and is 21st nationally in steals per game with 10.5 per game.
• Troy is averaging a conference-best 15.3 assists per game. Tayton Conerway is leading the SBC in assists per game at 5.0 – 67th nationally – and is second in the conference in total assists with 30 – 87th in the country.
