Championship Central
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Arkansas State and Troy earned victories and advanced to the semifinals of the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship on Saturday evening at the Pensacola Bay Center.
The No. 4 seed in the tournament, regular season co-champion Arkansas State outlasted No. 5 seed Marshall, 77-74, and advances to the semifinals for the second-straight year to challenge No. 1 seed South Alabama on Sunday, March 9 at 5 p.m. CT. The top seeded Jaguars defeated the Red Wolves twice during the regular season.
The No. 3 seed, regular season co-champion Troy never trailed in a 75-59 victory over No. 10 seed Old Dominion. The Trojans will face No. 2 seed James Madison on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The Dukes defeated Troy, 64-61, in Harrisonburg, Va., in the lone regular season meeting between the teams on Feb. 5.
Game 9: (4) Arkansas State def. (5) Marshall, 77-74 (Box Score)
All-Sun Belt First Team selection and senior guard Taryn Todd led five Arkansas State five scorers in double-figures with 19 points and redshirt sophomore guard Terrance Ford Jr. added 18, while junior forward and All-Sun Belt Third Team pick Izaiyah Nelson and redshirt senior forward Kobe Julien recorded double-doubles.
Nelson produced 12 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks to go with an 8-for-8 night at the free throw line, as Julien added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
All-Sun Belt Second Team choice and graduate forward Obinna Anochili-Killen scored the Herd’s first 11 points to keep the game tied just seven minutes into the contest during a first half featured 10 ties and 13 lead changes. Neither team led by more than three points until the Red Wolves jumped ahead by five on a 3-pointer by Ford with one minute to go in the first half before taking a 39-36 edge into halftime.
Marshall used the hot hand of gradate guard Mikal Dawson to start the second half, as he scored the team’s first 10 points and 13 of its first 16 with a trio of 3-pointers to grow a 52-46 lead with 14:37 remaining.
A 6-0 scoring run, capped by a pair of Nelson free throws, put Arkansas State back in front, 57-55, and despite a score by the Herd on their next possession, Todd intercepted a short pass near midcourt and ran it the other way for a two-handed dunk to reclaim the lead for good.
The Red Wolves extended the lead to six, 69-63, with 4:11 left, but Marshall drew even once again at 71 on a crafty layup by junior guard Dezayne Mingo with 2:20 to go.
Leading by one, Arkansas State junior guard Joseph Pinion was fouled attempting a 3-pointer from the right wing with 39 seconds remaining and made two of the free throws. Despite another Mingo layup 12 seconds later to cut the deficit to one, 75-74, Ford made two more free throws before the Herd missed two desperation 3-pointers as time expired.
Marshall was led by Anochili-Killen’s game-high 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks, while Dawson and Mingo chipped in 14 points apiece.
Game 10: (3) Troy def. (10) Old Dominion, 75-59 (Box Score)
Sun Belt Player of the Year and senior guard Tayton Conerway scored 17 of his team-leading 18 points in the first half to complement five rebounds and five steals to lead four Troy players in double-figures, as sophomore forward Myles Rigsby added 17 points and eight rebounds
Troy built its first double-digit lead of the night, 26-15, on a three-point play by Conerway with 3:29 to go in the first half as part of 9-0 scoring run. The Trojans scored the final eight points of the half and closed the period on a 17-3 run with a 36-18 lead.
Troy continued to attack Old Dominion’s interior early and often in the second half, widening the margin to as many as 23 points with the score 49-26 and 16:03 remaining in the game.
The Monarchs found rhythm offensively from that point, making seven of its next nine shots with a handful of defensive stops to construct a 13-2 scoring run and trim their deficit to 52-39 with 12:24 to go.
Old Dominion drew within 10 points, 55-45, at the 8:44 mark, but would draw no closer, as Troy pushed the margin back into double-digits where it remained for the rest of the contest.
Senior guard and All-Sun Belt Third Team honoree Sean Durugordon recorded his fourth-consecutive double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds, while senior wing R.J. Blakney led all players with 20 points.
2025 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship
Tuesday, March 4
Game 1 – (12) Southern Miss def. (13) Coastal Carolina, 66-63
Game 2 – (11) Louisiana def. (14) ULM, 73-69 (OT)
Wednesday, March 5
Game 3 – (9) Georgia Southern def. (12) Southern Miss, 78-64
Game 4 – (10) Old Dominion def. (11) Louisiana, 67-49
Thursday, March 6
Game 5 – (8) Georgia State def. (9) Georgia Southern, 80-71
Game 6 – (10) Old Dominion def. (7) Texas State 64-61
Friday, March 7
Game 7 – (5) Marshall def. (8) Georgia State, 79-76
Game 8 – (10) Old Dominion def. (6) App State, 61-56
Saturday, March 8
Game 9 – (4) Arkansas State def. (5) Marshall, 77-74
Game 10 – (3) Troy def. (10) Old Dominion, 75-59
Sunday, March 9
Game 11 – (1) South Alabama vs. (4) Arkansas State – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 12 – (2) James Madison vs. (3) Troy – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Monday, March 10 (Championship)
Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 6 p.m. CT [ESPN/ESPN2]