After a long and winless road trip, the Troy Trojans found themselves back on their home court for the first time in close to a month.

However, the things that plagued the Trojans while on the road followed the team back to Sartain Hall.

In a game against rival UAB, Troy saw what could have a been a huge home win slip away thanks to poor shooting on their behalf and just the opposite from a Blazer team that caught fire in the second half, as the Trojans were downed, 78-51.

“I think we were playing well until we hit a dry spell for about seven or eight minutes in the second half,” head coach Don Maestri said.

“UAB is a very good opponent. When you are playing a competitive opponent like UAB, you have to hit baskets and we didn’t. When you don’t hit baskets, everything starts to get affected and that was what happened (Monday night). I thought we had a great crowd, but we just couldn’t hit any shots.”

The loss drops the Trojans to 1-5 on the season, with the only win coming in the season opener against Huntingdon College.

This was Troy’s third double-digit loss of the season.

The Blazers started the game off on a 9-0 run and led for most of the first half until the Trojans started to hit their shots, going on a 19-9 run and grabbing the lead in the process at 29-28.

UAB would hit a 3-pointer to end the half to regain the lead at 31-29.

Like the first half, runs dominated the second half, and unfortunately for Troy, it was the Blazers who were benefiting from them.

UAB would score 11 unanswered points in less than a three minute span, and while Troy would be able to cut the double-digit lead down to just four with 10 minutes to play, that would be as close it would get.

In the final 10 minutes of the game, UAB outscored Troy 26-11, with Troy not making a basket for the final 3 minutes and 45 seconds.

“We have to hit shots and make plays,” senior point guard Vernon Taylor said after the game.

“As a senior, I have to make sure that the team keeps its composure – got to keep everyone going. Basketball is a game of runs, that’s all it is.

“We got heart, and we are playing with a lot of effort. That’s never something I am worried about. Everyone is playing with all they have.”

Even though the effort is there, Taylor said its still frustrating to be on a five game losing streak.

“No one is going to feel sorry for us,” he said.

“We have to play better – we have to keep on playing hard.”

UAB shot 62.1 percent from the floor in the second half, and 50.8 percent overall, while Troy shot just 37.9 percent in the second half, and 36.7 percent overall.

Bernard Toombs, who played all 40 minutes of the game, finished with a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Taylor finished with 12 points and Levan Patsatsia ended with 10 points of his own.