DENVER—Troy was supposed to have the edge in 3-point shooting, but Denver had other thoughts on Thursday night.
Joe Jackson scored a career-high 24 points and undermanned Denver connect on 10 3-pointers to defeat the Trojans 80-66.
“They played a zone all game and we actually have good 3-point shooters and that’s what we did,” Jackson said. “When the opportunities came, we took the shots came and they fell.”
Troy is second only to VMI nationally in hitting 3-pointers but connected on just 7 of 21.
“That was the difference,” Troy coach Don Maestri said. “Joe Jackson and Kyle Lewis hit some big ones and from a long, long ways away.”
Nate Rohnert added 19 points and Rob Lewis had 14 points and 14 rebounds for Denver (10-12, 6-5 Sun Belt). The Pioneers won back-to-back games for only the second time this year.
Denver played only six players in avenging a 74-49 loss to Troy on Jan. 9.
“We did better in all areas, and my only concern is that we are doing it with six players,” Denver coach Joe Scott said. “I’ve had to whittle things down, run practices that aren’t a long to make up for that.”
O’Darien Bassett led Troy (6-14, 3-7) with 20 points. Justin Jonus had 16 points as the Trojans lost for the seventh time in nine games.
Troy is 2-9 on the road this year.
Kyle Lewis buried a 3-pointer with 14:30 left in the second half and Denver overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to take a 41-39 lead. Jonus kept the Trojans close with a pair of 3-pointers, but Jackson had successive 3-pointers and Rohnert had another with 5:07 to play to put Denver ahead 63-56.
“I thought there was a little momentum change right at the end of the end of the half,” Maestri said. “We came out in the second half, the game got close and I thought down the stretch Denver hit big, big 3’s.”
Two free throws and a short jumper by Bassett got Troy to within 65-62 with 3:55 remaining. But a 3-pointer by Jackson and two free throws by Adam Tanner with 2:22 to play made it 72-64 and sealed it for Denver.
The Pioneers trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half. Jackson had two baskets and Kyle Lewis sank two free throws in the final 2:41 of the half to get them to within 34-25.
“We didn’t let ourselves get down,” Jackson said. “If you let yourself get down, the game will get out of your hands and be over with.”
