Box Score LITTLE ROCK ? Brandon Hazzard hit a three pointer with 39.4 seconds remaining to break a 73-all tie and lead Troy (17-11, 12-5) a 76-73 victory over the UALR men's basketball team (7-21, 3-14) at the Jack Stephens Center. Troy shot 62.5 percent from the field and connected on 9-of-14 three pointers in the second half to overcome a 16-point halftime deficit.
Richard Delk was one of four players to score in double figures for Troy, scoring all of his team-high 16 points in the second half. Hazzard and Antywan Jones added 15 points apiece, while Michael Vogler chipped in 12 points, four assists and four steals.
Junior Solomon Bozeman went 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range en route to a game-high 23 points in the losing effort. Sophomore Courtney Jackson added a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double to help UALR to a +3 rebounding margin (37-to-34).
After trailing throughout the second half, Troy reclaimed the lead, 69-67, with 3:15 left in the game off a putback by Jones ? the team's first advantage since holding a 16-14 edge in the first half. UALR held a 10-point lead, 63-53, after a three pointer by junior Alex Garcia-Mendoza at the 12:21 mark, but went the next 6:58 without making a field goal.
Down 71-67 after a dunk by Delk, UALR finally snapped its field goal drought when Troy was whistled for goaltending on a shot by junior Derrick Bails with 2:45 remaining. Jones answered with a bank shot on the other end to put Troy ahead 73-71, but Garcia-Mendoza scored on a drive to the hoop to tie things up at 73-all with 1:02 to play.
Hazzard delivered his game-winning three pointer from the top of the arc on Troy's next possession to make it a 76-73 contest with 34.9 seconds remaining. UALR had two chances to tie things up, thanks in part to a missed one-and-one situation by Hazzard, but could not connect on either attempt. Junior Matt Mouzy's three pointer from the top of the arc was blocked by Jones with 25 seconds to go, and junior Ricky Davison's three pointer from the wing rattled around the rim and failed to find net as time expired.
UALR shot 60.0 percent from three-point range on the night (9-of-15), but shot the same percentage at the foul line, converting just 12-of-20 attempts. Troy went 11-of-28 from beyond the arc and scored 25 points off UALR's 15 turnovers.
Troy ran out to a 12-3 lead at the start of the game after making 5-of-7 field goal attempts, but the Trojans used two three pointers from Bozeman and a three-point play by Garcia-Mendoza to even things up at 14-all with 13:12 remaining.
Troy reclaimed the lead, 16-14, off a pair of free throws from Hazard at the 12:55 mark, but the Trojans answered with a 19-2 run over the next 7:39 to go on top 33-18. Mouzy entered the game with 12:59 on the clock and proceeded to go 5-for-5 from the field and 3-for-3 from three-point range, scoring 13 of the team's first 17 points during the 19-2 run.
UALR took a 41-25 lead into the break after shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 6-of-8 from three-point range over the first 20 minutes, with Mouzy going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and Bozeman connecting on 2-of-3 attempts. Troy, meanwhile, made just 4-of-21 from the field after its 5-of-7 start, shooting 32.1 percent from the field and 14.3 percent (2-of-14) from three-point range.
UALR held a 46-28 lead at the 17:53 mark of the second half after a three pointer by Bozeman, but Troy sparked its comeback with a 14-2 run to cut its deficit to six points, 48-42, with 14:58 remaining.
UALR closes out the regular season Saturday night when it hosts New Orleans at 7 p.m.
