Ware’s hot hand returns just in time

The flames had been fanned from Kenny Ware’s hot shooting hand, but they weren’t completely out.

Not when Ware hit the dagger that buried North Texas Thursday night, propelling Troy to a 77-69 win in Denton, a place it never had success before.

Ware, a senior wing player for the Trojans, hit six straight threes in a blowout win at South Alabama earlier this month. He scored 13 in a loss to UL-Lafayette and followed his 20-point game at South Alabama with a trio of 3-pointers in a win at UL-Monroe.

But until Ware hit a three with 1:40 left, putting Troy up 73-69, he had missed nine straight 3-point attempts.

“It was one of those key shots that really put pressure on North Texas,” Troy head coach Don Maestri said. “At that point, I wasn’t expecting him to be the one to step up and break the game open, but that’s been one of the things about our team this year. Different guys have stepped up.”

Ware said it was one of the biggest shots of his career and for a second, he wondered when the next 3-pointer would finally go in.

“Coach just said to keep shooting,” Ware said. “I had been struggling, but we have shooting drills in practice every day and if you miss, you just stay positive and look ahead to your next shot.”

The Trojans (12-10, 7-3 Sun Belt) will look to stretch the win streak to six when they host Denver (9-11, 4-5). A women-men doubleheader begins at 5:15 p.m.

The 6-foot-5 Ware came to Troy as a junior college transfer from Okaloosa-Walton (now Northwest Florida State College). He started three games, but found his role off the bench, where he gets plenty of minutes. He’s scoring 4.8 points per game.

“He gives us a lot of things besides his shot,” Maestri said. “He’s a great defender and an excellent rebounder. He’s all over the court and he plays with his heart.”

Ware is also a vocal and emotional leader with the team.

“I try to keep us staying positive on the court,” Ware said. “If someone’s down, I try to lift them back up.”

Scouting Denver: Maestri is hoping for a huge crowd and warns people not to take the Pioneers lightly.

Three of Denver’s five SBC losses have been by two points, another by one, and Denver lost by seven to North Texas in a game where it led by 21. The Pioneers have not won a Sun Belt road game, but beat Western Kentucky and South Alabama at home.

Part of that is attributed to the thin air in Denver, which causes teams to tire easily. However, the same effect happens to Denver when it’s playing on altitudes closer to sea level.

“I remember we were out of breath our second time up the court last year (at Denver),” Ware said.

Guard Nate Rohnert leads Denver at 15 points per game. The Pioneers run a complex motion offense and zone defense with man principles.

“Their defense is the most unique defense in the country,” Maestri said. “Your regular man offense and your zone offense don’t work. You have to spend a lot of
time preparing for it.

“When they’re on offense, they keep you on your toes and don’t rush anything. It’ll be a game (scoring) in the fifties.”

Brandon Hazzard, with his 23-point game at UNT Thursday, overtook Richard Delk as Troy’s scoring leader. He’s averaging 14 points per game, with Delk at 13.8 ppg and Michael Vogler at 10.2 ppg.