Troy University Athletics
Trojans Head to Texas for Tournament Play
12/13/2007 6:00:00 AM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. - The Troy University women's basketball team travels to Corpus Christi, Texas for the Flint Hills Resources Islander Invitational, facing UT-Pan American on Saturday night at 5 pm.
Troy (5-2) has been off since their December 4th victory over Mercer University, and will look for their third consecutive victory when they face UT-Pan American for the third time in school history. The Trojans lead the all-time series 2-0, and the two teams last met in 1999.
The Trojans are playing their sixth road game of the season, and have compiled a 3-2 record away from Trojan Arena which includes a tournament victory at the Holiday Inn Select Thanksgiving Tournament, hosted by Tulsa.
GAME INFORMATION
* Date: Saturday, December 15, 2007 (Flint Hills Resources Invitational)
* Time: 5:00 p.m. (CST)
* Site: Corpus Christi, Texas
* Coliseum: American Bank Center
* Capacity: 8,500
* National Rankings (AP/ESPN-USA Today): Troy (NR/NR), UT-Pan American (NR/NR)
* Television: The game can be seen by visiting www.goislanders.com.
* Radio: The game can be heard by visiting www.goislanders.com (TAMCC official site)
* Announcers: Play-by-Play: n/a; Color: n/a
* Internet: Visit www.goislanders.com for Live Statistics.
* Tickets: Visit www.goislanders.com for information.
* Forecast: Showers possible Temps: High 76, Low 56
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
* Deann Craft is in her fifth season at the helm of the UTPA women's basketball program, and has posted a 45-68 record.
* In her first season as head coach, Craft led the Lady Broncs to their highest win total in program history, with 13. That historic season was followed by a 14-win campaign in 2004-05, breaking the record set the previous season.
* Senior LaKeisha Gray is currently ranked fifth among Division I women's basketball players in three-point field goals made per game, averaging 3.1.
* Gray has hit 22 of her 53 three-pointers this season. The 5-4 guard recorded a career-high 24 points, including six three-pointers in a 62-56 victory over UT-Martin earlier this season.
* Tiona Wilson ranks second in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 56 (14-of-25) percent on the season.
* Wilson recorded a career-high 22 points and seven three-pointers in a victory over Huston-Tillotson.
TROJANS PAVING THE WAY
* Troy leads the nation in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 45.3 percent from behind the arc.
* The Trojans are 39th in the nation in assists, averaging 16.3 assists per game.
* Troy is 56th in three-point field goals made per game, connecting on 6.1 per game.
* Senior guard Amy Lewis is seventh in the country in free throw percentage, at 95 percent. She is also 14th in three-point field goal percentage (48.4 percent), 40th in scoring (18.6 points per game) and 56th in field goal percentage (53.3 percent).
* Junior point guard Larelle Roper is 11th in the country in assists per game (6.7) and 20th overall in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.24).
* Troy also leads the Sun Belt Conference in four categories, and is listed in the top five in eight others.
TROJANS STORYLINES
* Troy is 2-0 in regular season tournament games this season, having won the Holiday Inn Select Thanksgiving Tournament in Tulsa earlier in 2007.
* The Trojans first met UT-Pan American November 19, 1999 and won the game 98-90 - their next opponent was Texas A&M Corpus Christi (this year's tournament host and possible opponent).
* The Trojans are 10-19 in December under Michael Murphy, including their victory over Mercer earlier this season.
* Over the history of the program, Troy is 80-101 all time in the program's history in the month of December.
* Under Murphy, the Trojans are 1-0 against UT-Pan American in the month of December.
Troy is 3-7 against teams from the state of Texas, including a record of 3-2 in non-conference games.
* Tonight's game marks the first of five road games for the Trojans in the month of December, with Troy hitting the road to face South Alabama and a tournament at Fordham (Bronx, NY) over the Christmas holidays.
