Troy University’s men’s basketball team will close out its two-game homestand by facing Appalachian State at Trojan Arena on Saturday. The game is scheduled to start at 3:33 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well as the Troy Sports Media Network.
The Trojans, holding a 15-7 overall record and 8-2 in Sun Belt Conference play, have won their last two meetings against App State, including a 69-61 victory on the road last season. In their most recent outing, Troy lost to James Madison with a score of 73-64, marking only their second conference defeat this season. The team struggled offensively during that game, shooting just 36.1 percent from the field.
Thomas Dowd led Troy in the loss with 12 points and 10 rebounds, achieving his fifth consecutive double-double. Dowd has accumulated 13 double-doubles this season, tying him for fourth nationally. He also set personal bests against James Madison with six assists and five steals while adding three blocks.
According to Troy Athletics, “Dowd’s performance marked the first Division I game this season featuring a stat line of at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five steals and three blocks, and just the third such performance across the past five Division I seasons.”
Appalachian State enters Saturday’s contest with a record of 14-9 overall and 7-4 in conference play after defeating Southern Miss 70-63 on Thursday. Kasen Jennings was App State’s top scorer in that win with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Historically, Troy holds an all-time record of 11 wins and 12 losses against App State.
Victor Valdes currently ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference for both free throws made (108) and attempted (142). The school’s Division I single-season record for free throws made is held by Myles Rigsby with 142 last year.
Troy leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring offense and ranks among the top thirty nationwide by averaging over 85 points per game this season. They have scored more than ninety points nine times so far.
Thomas Dowd is among national leaders in rebounding statistics; he ranks seventh in total rebounds (230) and eleventh in rebounds per game (10.5). He is one of eight players nationwide averaging at least fifteen points and ten rebounds per game.
Head coach Scott Cross is now in his seventh season leading Troy’s program with an overall record of 118-94. Over each of the past four seasons under Cross, Troy has recorded at least twenty wins annually—including double-digit victories within conference play each year.
The Trojans have demonstrated resilience following defeats during Sun Belt competition; they have not lost consecutive conference games since January of last year.
Cooper Campbell currently leads the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly three-to-one (2.69), which places him sixty-fifth nationally; he also averages almost five assists per contest—second-best in the conference.
Valdes and Dowd are leading scorers for Troy this season at averages of approximately sixteen and fifteen points per game respectively; Dowd also leads the conference in rebounding average while Theo Seng contributes thirteen points per game as a third scoring option for the team.
After Saturday’s matchup against App State, Troy will travel east to face Georgia State next Wednesday night; that contest will also be available via ESPN+ streaming as well as radio coverage through Troy Sports Media Network.
