For the second consecutive season, Troy basketball is going dancing. The Trojans (22-11) won their second consecutive Sun Belt Conference Tournament with a 77-61 victory over the Georgia Southern Eagles (21-16) on Monday, March 9, in Pensacola, Florida.
It was a strong first-half performance for Troy, with the Trojans spending much of the opening period leading by double digits and sinking a buzzer-beater to head into the locker room.
For a few minutes to open the second half, Georgia Southern was able to go on a run, but the Trojans were quick to slam the door on the chance of a comeback.
Sloppy second half start for Troy bsketball
In Sunday's semifinal game, Troy raced out to a sizeable halftime lead and struggled offensively in the second period, allowing Southern Miss to get back in contention.
Monday was more of the same for the Trojans. Troy led by 14 early in the first, and still held onto a 13-point lead at the break.
After intermission, however, the Eagles came out hot. Georgia Southern started the period on a 6-0 run and quickly cut the deficit to five points.
Another star silenced
For the second time in as many days, the Trojans defense was tasked with stopping a superstar.
On Monday, it was Georgia Southern's senior guard Tyren Moore. Moore was just two days removed from a career-high 40 points against Coastal Carolina in the quarterfinals and helped the Eagles to a win on Sunday night.
But much like the Trojans did Sunday with Tylik Weeks, the defense held Moore in check. Moore finished with just 10 points and was even whistled for a technical foul.
Thomas Dowd steps up
Forward Thomas Dowd had a very inconsistent performance Sunday night, finishing with a respectable 12 points, but in doing so he made only one of his seven shot attempts.
Come Monday, though, Dowd turned up the intensity. He finished with 23 points — above his season average entering Monday — on a strong 8-of-12 shooting performance, and also hauled in 13 rebounds for a double-double.
What's next?
Troy's NCAA Tournament opponent and location will be announced on Sunday. The NCAA Selection Sunday show will be at 5 p.m. on CBS.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Troy basketball wins Sun Belt title, March Madness bound