Troy University Athletics
Troy Closes Out Regular Season With Win
2/28/2010 1:00:00 AM | Basketball (W)
JONESBORO, Ark. - The Troy University women's basketball snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 75-69 victory over Arkansas State University in the regular season finale for both teams at the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon.
“I am proud of the girls' effort,” Troy head coach Michael Murphy said. “We have been frustrated during this stretch, but they have been working through it the entire time. They have continued to work hard, have never been late to any workout and have a great work ethic. We knew at some point things would turn around, and tonight they did.
“We have had kids hurt and sick over the last month, and we have had that problem this week. Sarah [McAppion] is sick, so is Jamesha Blake and Cortney Hawkins is battling the flu. We have kids who are hurt and have been hurt down the stretch. Alyce Shearing hurt her thumb in shoot around today, but we didn't make excuses. We just kept working hard and kept trying to get better.”
Troy (12-16, 5-13 Sun Belt), with the victory moved from a possible 12th seeed in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament to the ninth seed overall with the victory.
The Trojans were led by senior Brittnie Davis with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor, while she connected on all four of her free throws - including key free throws down the stretch to clinch the victory. Freshman Sophie Kleeman added 19 points in 38 minutes of action, after playing just seven minutes last week in two games. Kleeman also grabbed seven rebounds and added four assists, while sophomore Kirsten Smith came off the bench to add 13 points.
“The stats are the tell-all of this game,” Murphy said. “We shot 24-of-31 from the free throw line, and that is big. That has been our downfall in some of the close games - like ULM and Denver. Mookie Smith came off the bench and was big for us, as was Sophie [Kleeman] and the way she played. And I can't say enough about what Brittnie Davis does for us, and she led us in scoring again.”
Troy shot 36.2 (21-of-58) percent from the floor and 37.5 (9-of-24) percent from beyond the arc, while shooting 77.4 (24-of-31) percent from the free throw line. The Trojans also won the rebounding battle 45-43, while forcing 13 turnovers in the victory.
Meanwhile, Arkansas State (12-17, 7-11 Sun Belt) was led by Sherina Scott with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Shania Hurst chipped in 13.
The Red Wolves shot 37.5 (24-of-64) percent from the floor and 53.3 (8-of-15) percent from beyond the arc, while shooting 54.2 (13-of-24) percent from the free throw line.
Arkansas State jumped ahead 16-4 just after the first media timeout (14:55), before the Trojans went on a 20-7 run over the next seven minutes to take their first lead at 24-23 with 7:52 remaining in the opening half of play. The Red Wolves were able to regain the lead at 27-24 with 7:21 remaining in the opening half, before Troy went on their final run to cap off the first half of play.
Troy pulled to within a single point at 27-26 when Tenia Manuel hit a pair of free throws with 6:13 to play in the half, before Arkansas State went ahead 30-26 on a 3-pointer by Meghan Lewis. A pair of free throws by Sarah McAppion trimmed the lead to 30-28 with 4:38 to play in the half, while McAppion hit another with 4:04 to play to trim the lead to 30-29.
The Trojans took the lead for good in the first half when Smith connected on a three-pointer with 3:18 to play in the half, pushing the lead to 32-30. Kleeman came down on the Trojans' next possession with another 3-pointer to push the lead to 35-30 with 1:58 to play.
After a pair of free throws by Arkansas State trimmed the lead to 35-32, Davis connected on a lay-up with 1:03 to play in the first half to end the scoring at 37-32. The Trojans went on a 13-5 run to close out the first half with the lead.
Troy never trailed in the second half of action, allowing Arkansas State to tie the game one time at 40-all with 15:16 to play in the contest. After that basket, the Trojans went on an 11-1 run over the next three minutes to take a 51-41 lead with 12:23 to play in the half. The run was highlighted by four free throws by McAppion, a lay-up by Davis and 3-pointer by Kleeman.
Arkansas State pulled to within a single digit on a pair of occasions after that, and got as close as 71-69 with 27 seconds to play in the contest. After the Red Wolves pulled to within two, the Trojans used a pair of free throws by Kleeman to push the lead to 73-69, before Ebonie Jefferson missed a lay-up on the other end and Kirsten Smith ended up with the ball.
The sophomore hit both free throws with 6.6 seconds to play to push the lead 75-69, and sealed the game with a steal at the buzzer. She had one of the biggest plays of the game as well, hitting a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to give Troy a 58-54 lead with 8:16 to play - the play proved big because on the Red Wolves' next possession, they hit a three that would have tied the game or given the home team the lead.
“The three-pointer by Mookie was huge,” Murphy said. “That speaks of how the girls didn't panic throughout this stretch or the game. We are at a point, and so is everyone else, at taking each game possession by possession, and that is exactly what I mean by that. She caught the ball and didn't panic, and was able to knock the shot down.”
With the victory, the Trojans advance to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the ninth seed overall. They will face eighth-seeded Arkansas State at 12:15 pm at the Convention Center - the second court added for the tournament - on Saturday, March 6. The game can be heard on WTBF-94.7 FM with Travis Jarome and Jerry Miller providing all the action.
For information on how to follow the Trojans to Hot Springs, Arkansas for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, contact the Troy University Athletics Ticket Office at 1-877-878-WINS (9467); or purchase your tickets online at TroyTrojans.com.
“I am proud of the girls' effort,” Troy head coach Michael Murphy said. “We have been frustrated during this stretch, but they have been working through it the entire time. They have continued to work hard, have never been late to any workout and have a great work ethic. We knew at some point things would turn around, and tonight they did.
“We have had kids hurt and sick over the last month, and we have had that problem this week. Sarah [McAppion] is sick, so is Jamesha Blake and Cortney Hawkins is battling the flu. We have kids who are hurt and have been hurt down the stretch. Alyce Shearing hurt her thumb in shoot around today, but we didn't make excuses. We just kept working hard and kept trying to get better.”
Troy (12-16, 5-13 Sun Belt), with the victory moved from a possible 12th seeed in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament to the ninth seed overall with the victory.
The Trojans were led by senior Brittnie Davis with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor, while she connected on all four of her free throws - including key free throws down the stretch to clinch the victory. Freshman Sophie Kleeman added 19 points in 38 minutes of action, after playing just seven minutes last week in two games. Kleeman also grabbed seven rebounds and added four assists, while sophomore Kirsten Smith came off the bench to add 13 points.
“The stats are the tell-all of this game,” Murphy said. “We shot 24-of-31 from the free throw line, and that is big. That has been our downfall in some of the close games - like ULM and Denver. Mookie Smith came off the bench and was big for us, as was Sophie [Kleeman] and the way she played. And I can't say enough about what Brittnie Davis does for us, and she led us in scoring again.”
Troy shot 36.2 (21-of-58) percent from the floor and 37.5 (9-of-24) percent from beyond the arc, while shooting 77.4 (24-of-31) percent from the free throw line. The Trojans also won the rebounding battle 45-43, while forcing 13 turnovers in the victory.
Meanwhile, Arkansas State (12-17, 7-11 Sun Belt) was led by Sherina Scott with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Shania Hurst chipped in 13.
The Red Wolves shot 37.5 (24-of-64) percent from the floor and 53.3 (8-of-15) percent from beyond the arc, while shooting 54.2 (13-of-24) percent from the free throw line.
Arkansas State jumped ahead 16-4 just after the first media timeout (14:55), before the Trojans went on a 20-7 run over the next seven minutes to take their first lead at 24-23 with 7:52 remaining in the opening half of play. The Red Wolves were able to regain the lead at 27-24 with 7:21 remaining in the opening half, before Troy went on their final run to cap off the first half of play.
Troy pulled to within a single point at 27-26 when Tenia Manuel hit a pair of free throws with 6:13 to play in the half, before Arkansas State went ahead 30-26 on a 3-pointer by Meghan Lewis. A pair of free throws by Sarah McAppion trimmed the lead to 30-28 with 4:38 to play in the half, while McAppion hit another with 4:04 to play to trim the lead to 30-29.
The Trojans took the lead for good in the first half when Smith connected on a three-pointer with 3:18 to play in the half, pushing the lead to 32-30. Kleeman came down on the Trojans' next possession with another 3-pointer to push the lead to 35-30 with 1:58 to play.
After a pair of free throws by Arkansas State trimmed the lead to 35-32, Davis connected on a lay-up with 1:03 to play in the first half to end the scoring at 37-32. The Trojans went on a 13-5 run to close out the first half with the lead.
Troy never trailed in the second half of action, allowing Arkansas State to tie the game one time at 40-all with 15:16 to play in the contest. After that basket, the Trojans went on an 11-1 run over the next three minutes to take a 51-41 lead with 12:23 to play in the half. The run was highlighted by four free throws by McAppion, a lay-up by Davis and 3-pointer by Kleeman.
Arkansas State pulled to within a single digit on a pair of occasions after that, and got as close as 71-69 with 27 seconds to play in the contest. After the Red Wolves pulled to within two, the Trojans used a pair of free throws by Kleeman to push the lead to 73-69, before Ebonie Jefferson missed a lay-up on the other end and Kirsten Smith ended up with the ball.
The sophomore hit both free throws with 6.6 seconds to play to push the lead 75-69, and sealed the game with a steal at the buzzer. She had one of the biggest plays of the game as well, hitting a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to give Troy a 58-54 lead with 8:16 to play - the play proved big because on the Red Wolves' next possession, they hit a three that would have tied the game or given the home team the lead.
“The three-pointer by Mookie was huge,” Murphy said. “That speaks of how the girls didn't panic throughout this stretch or the game. We are at a point, and so is everyone else, at taking each game possession by possession, and that is exactly what I mean by that. She caught the ball and didn't panic, and was able to knock the shot down.”
With the victory, the Trojans advance to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the ninth seed overall. They will face eighth-seeded Arkansas State at 12:15 pm at the Convention Center - the second court added for the tournament - on Saturday, March 6. The game can be heard on WTBF-94.7 FM with Travis Jarome and Jerry Miller providing all the action.
For information on how to follow the Trojans to Hot Springs, Arkansas for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, contact the Troy University Athletics Ticket Office at 1-877-878-WINS (9467); or purchase your tickets online at TroyTrojans.com.
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