Senior forward Tylan Pope hit a game-winning free throw to give the Texas State Bobcats a 74-73 comeback victory against the Troy Trojans Thursday at Trojan Arena in Troy, Alabama.
The Bobcats were playing behind nearly all game long until the second half when they traded leads with Troy multiple times. With the game coming down to last-second free throws, Pope was fouled with 1.1 seconds left, ultimately winning the game with one made free throw.
Despite a slow start similar to the last game against Appalachian State, the Bobcats overcame an 11-point deficit.
Pope led all scorers with 27 points and finished with 10 rebounds. Junior guard Mark Drone scored 17 points in his first game seeing action as a Bobcat and sophomore guard Kaden Gumbs finished with 11 points.
The Bobcats shot 42.4% from the field, making only six threes on 14 attempts. They also continued to shoot consistently from the free-throw line, finishing with 85.7%.
However, this was not an easy win for Texas State, giving up 18 points off sloppy turnovers and, at times, struggling against Troy’s press. The Trojans also had a better shooting percentage than the Bobcats, recording 47.8% from the field.
Troy’s senior guard Tayton Conerway and sophomore forward Myles Rigsby were the Trojans’ leading scorers, with Conerway scoring 15 and Rigsby scoring 12.
This loss hands Troy its first conference loss this season. The Bobcats move up to nine wins and snap a three-game losing skid.
The win also puts Texas State at 2-2 in Sun Belt play, trailing conference leader South Alabama by 1.5 games.
The Bobcats look to keep the momentum rolling as they are set to visit Southern Mississippi on Saturday, Jan. 11. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
