Troy University’s men’s basketball team suffered its second consecutive defeat, losing to Appalachian State 66-44 on Saturday in Troy, Alabama. The Trojans struggled offensively, posting their lowest point total and field goal percentage of the season by shooting just 32.7 percent from the field.
Theo Seng was the only Troy player to score in double digits, finishing with 13 points. Appalachian State’s Kasen Jennings led all scorers with a standout performance, tallying 33 points while making 11 of his 18 shots and converting seven out of eleven attempts from three-point range.
Appalachian State started strong from beyond the arc, making three of their first five attempts and taking an early lead despite ranking near the bottom of the Sun Belt Conference in three-point shooting before this game. Troy managed to tie the score at 11 after a brief run but soon fell behind as Appalachian State went on a decisive 14-2 scoring stretch.
Jerrell Bellamy gave Troy its largest lead at 17-14 following an alley-oop dunk assisted by Cooper Campbell. However, that advantage was short-lived as Appalachian State regained control before halftime. Jennings capped off his first half with a buzzer-beating jumper to give his team a 36-24 lead at intermission.
In the second half, Troy briefly narrowed the gap as Seng scored four quick points and Bellamy hit his second three-pointer of the season. Appalachian State quickly responded with another scoring run to restore their double-digit advantage.
Troy finished with just four free throw attempts for the game; Jerrell Bellamy and Victor Valdes each converted both of theirs. Austin Cross matched his career high with four rebounds, while Evan Griffin recorded his first career steal. With this result, Troy now trails App State in their all-time series record at 11 wins to 13 losses.
After the loss, head coach Scott Cross commented: “I didn’t really recognize our basketball team tonight and that’s on me as a leader. I need to do a better job preparing our guys. I thought we would have a little more edge after the James Madison game. App State came out extremely hot, and they started hitting those 3-point shots. Credit to them, but no excuse, we need to do better and find a way to win.”
The Trojans will next travel east for an away game against Georgia State in Atlanta on Wednesday night at 6 p.m., which will be available via live stream on ESPN+ and broadcast on the Troy Sports Media Network.
