Troy surged in the second half on the way to a 69-62 victory over South Alabama Wednesday in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament in New Orleans.
The Trojans (16-16) advance to face No. 2 Georgia State in a quarterfinal game at 5 p.m. Friday. The Jaguars end their season at 14-18.
South Alabama led 35-29 at halftime, but could not hold on in the second half. Troy took the lead for good at the 14:22 mark on a pair of free throws by Jordon Varnado, who led all scorers with 22 points.
Wesley Person added 17 points for the Trojans, who beat the Jaguars for the third time this season.