Troy University Athletics
Trojans Head South For SBC Battle
1/15/2010 4:00:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. - The Troy University women's basketball team returns to Sun Belt Conference action this weekend, and will stay in the state to do so as they travel down Interstate 65 to face the University of South Alabama on Saturday. The game will be played in the Mitchell Center on the campus of South Alabama, with tip set for 5:05 pm and will be part of a doubleheader featuring both men's programs.
Troy (10-5, 3-3 Sun Belt) is off to its best start under head coach Michael Murphy, and is off to their best 15-game start since the national tournament team in 1996-97 started 11-4 as a member of the Mid-Continent Conference. The .500 start in conference play matches the start to last season in which the Trojans finished tied for second in the East Division and received the fourth seed overall in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
"Right now South Alabama is the hottest team in the league," Murphy said. "They are playing at a high level, are extremely well-coached and they play hard. That is tough combination to beat. They are virtually unstoppable at home, so we have our work cut out for us when we go down there on Saturday."
The Trojans are led by junior Donette McNair, fresh off her 10th career double-double with 27 points and 14 rebounds against North Texas. It is the fifth time she has recorded the feat this season, and is the sixth this season for the Trojans (Sarah McAppion against St. Francis was the lone other double-double). On the season, the junior is shooting 53.9 (76-of-141) percent from the floor and averaging a team-high 13.4 points per game. She also leads the team in rebounding as she is averaging 9.2 rebounds per game, which places her in the top five in the Sun Belt Conference. The New London, Conn. native recently scored her 500th career point and is nearing 400 career rebounds in just 58 games played.
Seniors Brittnie Davis and Alyce Shearing have also added a scoring punch for the Trojans this season. Davis, who returned for her final year after graduating, is averaging 10.4 points per game and also leads the team in steals - 37 on the season - while shooting 43.4 percent from the floor as a guard. Shearing is averaging just under double figures at 9.8 points per game this season, but leads the Sun Belt Conference in 3-point field goal percentage.
Freshman Sophie Kleeman and sophomore Sarah McAppion have added an unexpected scoring punch for the Trojans through the first 15 games this season. Kleeman is averaging 9.8 points per game while leading the team in assists, while McAppion has come off the bench to average 8.6 points per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor.
The Trojans will have their work cut out for them on Saturday night as they take on the lone undefeated team in conference play in the Lady Jags. South Alabama leads the East Division by one game over Middle Tennessee, two games over Florida Atlantic and WKU, and three games over the Trojans. The Lady Jags enter the game off a 74-62 road victory over ULM, in which reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week Tashley Gaines came off the bench to score a career-high 22 points.
On the season, Shakira Nettles leads the Lady Jags by averaging 11.4 points per game and is shooting 39.4 (28-of-71) percent from beyond the arc. Newcomer Christian Shelter is averaging 10.8 points per game, while Gaines comes off the bench to average 10.5 points per game for South Alabama.
The Lady Jags are outscoring their opponents by nearly six points per game, and are turning the ball over just 13.4 times per game this season to jump to their best conference start in school history.
Troy will be looking to further their advantage in the series, in which they lead 15-12 all-time. However, South Alabama has won eight of the last nine, including two games last season. The Trojans won the meeting at Trojan Arena, the first time the Trojans have won a game in the series since joining the Sun Belt Conference.
The game tips at 5:05 pm from the Mitchell Center, and can be heard on WTBF-94.7 FM beginning with the pregame show at 4:45 pm. Live stats and webstreaming will be available by clicking on the links above.
For more information on Troy University Athletics, and more importantly on how to purchase tickets for the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Basketball Tournament in Hot Springs (Arkansas), check back with www.TroyTrojans.com. You can find out more information on tickets for the upcoming basketball tournament by calling 1-877-878-WINS (9467), or just by simply stopping by the Troy University Athletics Ticket Office.
