Troy men’s basketball extended its winning streak to five games with an 83–78 victory over Georgia Southern on Saturday in Statesboro, Georgia. The win improved Troy’s record to 15-6 overall and 8-1 in Sun Belt Conference play, placing the team at the top of the conference standings by two games.
Victor Valdes led Troy with 22 points, marking his seventh game this season scoring at least 20 points. Thomas Dowd recorded his fourth consecutive double-double, contributing 16 points and setting a career high with seven made free throws. Cobi Campbell added 12 points, making all four of his three-point attempts in the first half, while Jerrell Bellamy scored all 10 of his points before halftime.
Troy started strong, opening with a quick lead and shooting over 66 percent from the field in the first half to take a 47-38 advantage into halftime. In the second half, Georgia Southern narrowed the gap and briefly took the lead following a three-pointer by Alden Applewhite. Kerrington Kiel ended a scoring drought for Troy with a layup plus a foul after a steal by Cooper Campbell.
The final minutes saw both teams exchanging leads. With just under ninety seconds remaining and the score tied at 74, Dowd secured an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and converted it into a three-point play to give Troy the lead. Valdes added key baskets down the stretch as Troy held on for the win.
Georgia Southern was led by Alden Applewhite’s 19 points and three steals.
Head Coach Scott Cross said, “I’m thankful to the good Lord for this victory. Victor Valdes was phenomenal down the stretch for us, and we got stops and rebounds in the last couple of minutes. On Monday, we get to start it all over, we can’t take any games off. Any team in this league is capable of beating us and we have to have the right mentality every possession. If we do that, I think we have a good chance at winning the league.”
Dowd’s performance brings him to twelve double-doubles this season, tying him for fourth nationally and just three behind Delrocco Gillespie of Kent State who leads with fifteen double-doubles.
This win marks Troy’s third straight true road victory—its longest such streak this season—and gives them their best record through twenty-one games since 2003-04. The team’s current conference start is also its best since beginning A-SUN play at 10-1 during the 2002-03 season when they won their conference and reached their first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Troy will return home next week for two games starting Thursday against James Madison. The game will be available via ESPN+ streaming and on radio through the Troy Sports Media Network.
