Troy shows fight, but is stymied by Duke 87-65

The Trojans of Troy hung within 10-15 points of Duke for much of the first round game but ultimately suffered a similar fate as the previous 15 seed teams, losing 87-65.

Troy made several short surges into single digit deficit territory but could not sustain a run. This is due in large part from the barrage of three pointers Duke rained down throughout the night.

Duke jumped out to a 16-4 lead with four three-pointers in five minutes to take a comfortable early lead. Troy’s first surge came while down 26-11 with 11:33 to go. Leading scorer sophomore Jordan Varnado started a six minute spurt with a jump shot followed by Sophomore Alex Hicks, who finished with 14 points on 6-9 shooting, adding back to back baskets.

Troy was able to pull within eight with 5:02 remaining in the half but was quickly set back by a Grayson Allen three. Another rally was made when the Trojans scored on three straight possessions while getting a pair of defensive stops.

With its lead cut to 43-36, Duke was forced to call a timeout. Troy would not get within seven for the rest of the game. Duke finished the half with a 9-2 run to push the score out to 52-38.

Troy got to within single digits just once in the second half while the Blue Devils kept the Trojans at arm’s length for the last 14 minutes of the game.

Varnado finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, holding his own with the Duke forwards for much of the game. Guard Wesley Person was a bright spot as well, scoring 15 points. In the end, the depth of Duke and its 13 three-pointers proved too much for Troy.

The Trojans will now set its sights on next season and will have a strong Varnado-Persons-Hicks core at its disposal. The three, who had 47 points together against Duke, combined to average 36.2 points per game this season.