NEW ORLEANS -- Jordon Varnado scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Alex Hicks added 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Troy rallied to beat South Alabama 69-62 in Wednesday's opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Wesley Person scored 13 points for the seventh-seeded Trojans (16-16), who advance to face No. 2 seed Georgia State in a Friday quarterfinal.
Trailing 35-29 at halftime, Varnado's 3 put the Trojans up 41-39 and his jumper sparked a 10-2 run for a 56-47 lead with 10:21 left. Rodrick Sikes' layup capped a 9-2 run and the Jaguars closed to 68-62 with 10 seconds left, but got no closer.