Trojans Fall to Hot-Shooting Arkansas State

Thursday, January 24

Troy, Ala.

5:15 p.m.

Troy University

Arkansas State

Photo by: Cass Davis

Trojans Fall to Hot-Shooting Arkansas State

1/24/2013 8:05:00 PM | Basketball (W)

By: Matt Mays

Box Score

TROY, Ala. – The Troy women's basketball team continued to improve, but Arkansas State couldn't miss on the night as the Red Wolves defeated Troy, 87-74, at Trojan Arena on Thursday night.

Troy (3-15, 0-9) committed a season-low 11 turnovers and grabbed 24 offensive rebounds, but Arkansas State, the Sun Belt West Division leader, shot 56.1 percent (32-of-57) overall, including 66.7 percent (18-of-27) in the second half.

“We won some battles in this game (turnovers, offensive rebounds),” Troy head coach Chanda Rigby said. “But we have yet to win the war, and that's what shows on the scoreboard.”

Troy shot just 32.5 percent (26-of-80) on the game, that after shooting over 44.0 percent in each of its last two games. Ashley Beverly-Kelley led Troy with 21 points while Joanna Harden was in double figures for the fourth straight game with 14 of her own. Kourtney Coleman also was in double figures with 12 points.

The Trojans held Arkansas State's leading scorer, Jane Morrill, scoreless in the first half, but the Red Wolves got 15 of Hanna Qedan's 19 in the opening frame and took a 43-35 lead into the break.

ASU used a 10-0 run in the first half to build the lead, but Troy cut it down to two, 47-45, just three minutes into the second half. Morrill finished with 14 points, all in the second half, and keyed an ASU run that pulled the Red Wolves ahead by 13 just five minutes later, 62-49.

Arkansas State (10-9, 7-3) finished with four in double figures as Ashley Olvera (10) and Jalen O'Bannon (23) joined Morrill and Qedan. Olvera, a senior point guard, played for Rigby at Pensacola State in 2010-11.

Troy shot just 29.7 percent (11-of-37) in the second half, but did made eight 3-pointers in the game, the most for the Trojans in over a month. ASU hit five 3-pointers with three coming from Qedan. Beverly-Kelley had three for the Trojans.

The Trojans return to the floor on Saturday when they travel to ULM for a 2 p.m. contest.

For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter at @TroyAthletics or on Facebook at Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.