ATLANTA (Interstat) — The Troy men’s basketball team used a dominant second-half surge fueled by interior scoring and a significant rebounding advantage to pull away from Georgia State for a 74-63 victory in a Sun Belt Conference game Wednesday night at GSU Sports Arena.

The Trojans, who entered as 4.5-point favorites, snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 16-8 overall and 8-5 in conference play. The Panthers fell to 9-15 and 4-9.

The most critical phase of the contest came early in the second half, when Troy transformed a 28-28 halftime deadlock into a commanding double-digit lead. The Trojans opened the final period on a 14-2 run over the first four minutes and 22 seconds, seizing control with a burst of efficient offense and stifling defense.

The run began with a Thomas Dowd layup off a Victor Valdes steal and assist just 27 seconds into the half. Cobi Campbell followed with a 3-pointer, Theo Seng scored twice inside, and Valdes added another layup. The sequence highlighted Troy’s decisive edges in points in the paint, which finished at 42-20, and points off turnovers, which ended at 14-2. Georgia State, meanwhile, managed only a single Malachi Brown jump shot during the pivotal stretch and committed two turnovers.

Troy’s offensive execution in the half was markedly improved. After shooting 29% from the floor in the first half, the Trojans connected on 46% of their attempts after the break, scoring 46 points. They maintained their advantage by dominating the glass, finishing with 15 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points, compared to just seven offensive boards for Georgia State.

Valdes, a 6-foot-7 junior from Monterrey, Mexico, orchestrated the Troy offense with a game-high nine assists to go with 12 points. Dowd, a 6-8 forward from Dothan, Alabama, led all scorers with 16 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end. Campbell, a 6-2 guard from Puyallup, Washington, added 15 points, with 12 coming in the second half on four 3-pointers.

Georgia State was led by Micah Tucker, an Atlanta native who scored 18 points. Brown added 13 points and four assists. The Panthers struggled to find consistent offense, posting an offensive rating of 95.4 points per 100 possessions. They shot just 39% from the field for the game and were hampered by only three assists as a team.

Troy’s defense was particularly effective in limiting Georgia State’s opportunities, holding the Panthers to 6-of-18 shooting from 3-point range and generating six steals. The Trojans also protected the ball well, committing only eight turnovers, which matched Georgia State’s total.

The first half was a defensive struggle, with both teams shooting under 35% from the field. The period featured eight ties and neither team led by more than four points. The score was knotted at 28-28 at the intermission after Cooper Campbell made a layup and a subsequent free throw with three seconds remaining.

The victory keeps Troy in the upper tier of the Sun Belt standings as it heads into a non-conference matchup against Akron on Saturday. Georgia State, which has lost three of its last four, will host Northern Illinois on Saturday before resuming league play.

An announced crowd of 2,037 at the GSU Sports Arena saw the Trojans outperform their pregame statistical projection, which gave them a 69.6% chance to win. The combined point total of 137 fell well under the over/under line of 144.5.