Troy makes it nine straight

TROY — When the win streak looked in jeopardy, Troy’s defense stepped up to the challenge.

The Trojans outscored Middle Tennessee by 18 to start the second half and held on at the end, winning 70-64 over the Blue Raiders to extend their winning streak to nine games.

The school record for consecutive wins is 13, set in the 1987-88 and 2003-04 seasons.

Troy (16-10, 11-3 Sun Belt) raced out to a 13-1 lead to open the game, but Middle Tennessee (15-10, 8-5) switched to a 1-2-2 zone defense and took a 30-25 lead into the half.

“They got us out of our rhythm,” Troy head coach Don Maestri said. “We got a little stunned, and we couldn’t get into an easy flow.”

But it didn’t take long for Troy to get back to its winning ways. Point guard Michael Vogler got his third foul just three minutes into the half, but Troy went ahead for good at 36-34 when backup point guard Josh Williams found Kenny Ware for an open three at the 14:15 mark.

Leading scorer Brandon Hazzard, the reigning two-time Sun Belt Player of the Week, had an off first half but scored 16 of his game-high 21 in the second.

After Ware’s three, Hazzard hit two free throws and took a pass from Williams and drained a three. Richard Delk got a steal and lay-up, getting the season-high crowd of 2,735 to its feet as Troy led by nine.

Meanwhile, Middle Tennessee couldn’t buy a bucket. Twelve minutes into the half, Troy had outscored the Blue Raiders 24-6. From the 18:39 mark to the 8:04 mark, Troy went on a 22-2 run. The largest lead was 18 when Ware hit a three with 4:20 left.

“Our kids did a great job on defense making adjustments on their own,” Maestri said. “By continuing to not let them score, I thought the pressure started building in a game where we now gained momentum.”

MTSU caught fire late, getting within single digits as Troy struggled at the free throw line late. The Trojans still hit a season-high 25 free throws, but missed five in the final minute.

Troy forced 18 MTSU turnovers and had 11 steals. Vogler, third in the league in steals heading into Thursday at 1.7 per game, had a team-high four. Delk had three, and center Tom Jervis blocked three shots.

“Defense was the key for us,” Hazzard said. “This is our house and we’ve got to protect our house. When the crowd got pumped, everyone else got pumped.”

Delk scored 12 with nine rebounds for the Trojans. Troy got some big performances off the bench as Ware hit all three of his 3-point attempts and scored 13. Mario Telfair scored seven and gave his usual all-out performance on defense and scrambled for every loose ball.

“These guys come into the game with the mindset that they’re going to produce,” Maestri said. “We don’t ever look at anybody as a substitute. We’re all on the same team.”

MTSU was led by Montario Haddock’s 19 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Desmond Yates scored 18, and Demario Williams scored 12.

With the win, the Trojans are a half-game out of the Sun Belt East lead behind Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers (17-7, 11-2) were off Thursday, but come to Troy Saturday. The women-men doubleheader starts at 5 p.m.