TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) – Troy lost to UMass 71-60 Monday night, marking the Trojans first loss in the season opener since 2019. A 17-0 run midway through the game by the Minutemen proved to be the difference maker.

The game marked the start of a new era for the men’s basketball team as it was the first game for head coach Adam Howard.

“They came back and took a 10 point lead going into the half, and then in the second half, the first 5 minutes, the wheels came off a little bit for us and we had to make some adjustments,” Howard said. “I’m proud of the group that finished out the game for us to keep that thing a little bit respectable, but losing on the home floor is never acceptable and we got to get back to work, clean some things up, and keep fighting.”

A bright spot for the Trojans was transfer guard Donovan Oday who finished with a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds.

“He’s an electric scorer, hard playing kid, with an unbelievable motor,” Howard said. “Donovan, we got about a month ago, and he is just scratching the surface of how good he can be for us.

“He’s our offensive engine and a really talented basketball player. We’re happy to have him”

Troy now prepares for its first road test of the season, a matchup against ACC powerhouse Florida State.

“We just got to take it one day at a time,” Howard said. “We got to clean this up, understand fighting and the urgency that it takes to finish possessions and then we’ll worry about Florida State.

“A really disappointing effort at times from our team on the home floor here in front of a great crowd, so we got to address this loss first and then we’ll move on from that.”

The Trojans hope to bounce back into the win column Friday night against the Seminoles at 6 p.m. with the game airing on the ACC Network.