TRAVELERS REST, S.C. (Interstat) — In a game that defied pregame projections with its defensive grit, the Troy Trojans edged the Furman Paladins 64-61 in a non-conference men’s NCAA Division I basketball game Friday night at Timmons Arena.

The contest, played before an announced crowd of 2,207, was a tale of two halves, with Troy building a substantial lead before withstanding a furious second-half rally from the home team. The victory pushed Troy’s early season record to a perfect 2-0, while Furman dropped to 0-2.

The Trojans seized control of the game from the opening tip, dictating the pace and capitalizing on Furman’s mistakes. They took a commanding 36-23 lead into halftime, a margin built largely on their ability to convert turnovers into points. Troy scored 22 points off Furman miscues in the game, more than doubling the Paladins’ output of 10 points in that critical category.

Cooper Campbell, a 6-foot-2 guard from Puyallup, Washington, was the offensive catalyst for the Trojans. He led all scorers with 21 points, playing a team-high 32 minutes and dishing out three assists. His steady hand guided the Troy offense through both their dominant first half and the tense final minutes.

Furman emerged from the locker room after halftime a transformed team. The Paladins mounted a relentless comeback in the second half, outscoring Troy 38-28 over the final 20 minutes. The charge was led by guard Alex Wilkins of Mattapan, Massachusetts. The 6-foot-5 Wilkins filled the stat sheet, scoring 16 points and distributing a game-high eight assists, repeatedly breaking down the Troy defense to create opportunities for himself and his teammates.

Despite the surge, Troy’s interior defense, anchored by Thomas Dowd and Victor Valdes, made key plays to preserve the narrow lead. Dowd, a 6-foot-8 forward from Dothan, Alabama, was a force in the paint, scoring 11 points and recording three blocked shots in his 31 minutes of action. Valdes, a 6-foot-7 forward from Monterrey, Mexico, also contributed 11 points and a block.

The Paladins had several chances to tie or take the lead in the game’s final possessions, but the Troy defense held firm, forcing difficult shots and securing crucial defensive rebounds to close out the victory.

Beyond Campbell’s scoring, Troy’s balance proved vital. Alongside Dowd and Valdes in double figures, the Trojans received contributions across the roster. Austin Cross, a guard from Troy, Alabama, provided a spark off the bench with six points in 15 minutes. The win was a collective effort that highlighted Troy’s defensive tenacity and ability to score in the paint, where they held a 28-26 advantage over Furman.

For the Paladins, the second-half rally showcased their potential, but the slow start proved too much to overcome. Alongside Wilkins’ standout performance, Eddrin Bronson of Tampa, Florida, provided a scoring punch off the bench with 14 points. Cooper Bowser, a 6-foot-11 center from Woodbridge, Virginia, added 10 points and a block, offering a presence inside.

The game’s final score of 125 total points fell well short of the pregame over/under line of 150, a testament to the defensive struggles both teams experienced from the floor. The result also contradicted most pregame analytics, as Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 100-100 tie, and its ELO system gave Troy only a 57.10 percent probability to win. Furman had been installed as a 3-point favorite by oddsmakers.

The Trojans, coming off a high-scoring 103-97 overtime road victory at Kent State on Monday, now look ahead to a five-game road trip out west. They will host Pensacola Christian on Tuesday before traveling to face Loyola Marymount, Cal State Northridge, San Diego State and Southern California in a challenging stretch.

Furman, which opened its season with a 97-71 loss at High Point, will seek its first win of the season when it returns to Timmons Arena to host Columbia International on Monday. The Paladins then face a road test at Northern Iowa next Friday as they continue to search for the consistency that was missing in the first half against Troy.