Troy University Athletics
Saturday, December 20
Nashville, Tenn.
6 p.m.
Troy University
5-4
75
at
71
Tennessee State
3-7
1
2
F
Troy
31
44
75
Tennessee State
30
41
71
Team Stats
TROY
TSU
FG%
.365
.403
3FG%
.364
.231
FT%
.586
.417
RB
48
57
TO
22
29
STL
14
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Basketball (W)
G
/ Basketball (W)
G
/ Basketball (W)F
/ Basketball (W)G
/ Basketball (W)
Photo by: Sam Jordan / TSU Athletics
Trojans Rally Late to Win at Tennessee State
12/20/2014 9:06:00 PM | Basketball (W)
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Troy women's basketball team trailed most of the second half, but rallied late to defeat Tennessee State, 75-71, on Saturday night at the Gentry Center.
Troy (5-4) had a one-point halftime lead, but trailed for 19 minutes in the second half, including when it was down 70-69 with 38 seconds to play. That was when Ronita Garrett grabbed an offensive rebound to keep a Troy possession alive. She then found Kourtney Coleman open on the low block for a layup that gave Troy a 71-70 lead with 28 seconds to play.
Coleman then made an even bigger play, drawing a charge as Tennessee State's Brianna Lawrence drove to the basket on the next possession. The Trojans hit 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch to seal the game.
Garrett's offensive rebound gave her a third straight double-double as she poured in a team-high 16 points with 10 rebounds. Ashley Beverly-Kelley scored 14 points and Rachel Reid scored 10 points, all in the second half, to round out Troy's double-figure scorers.
"We are very proud to be going into Sun Belt play with a winning record," Troy head coach Chanda Rigby said. "However, we feel like we'll need to play much better to win in the Sun Belt. Though we're thankful for the win, it gave us a lot to go home and work on."
With the win in their final non-conference game, the Trojans will now enter Sun Belt play with a winning record for the first time since 2009-10. However, it wasn't easy getting there as the Lady Tigers outrebounded the Trojans, 57-48, on the night.
Tennessee State (3-7) grabbed 16 offensive rebounds in the first half alone, but Troy held a 31-30 advantage at the break. The Lady Tigers, however, started the second half with a 10-4 run and built their lead up to as many as nine points midway through the second.
From there, Troy went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 58-58 with 8:24 to go in the game. The game then stayed within two possessions, but Troy never regained the lead until Coleman's bucket in the final minutes.
Troy forced 29 Tennessee State turnovers, including two in the final 30 seconds, and scored 25 points off of them. The Trojans recorded 14 steals, upping their season average, which entering the game was good for 19th in the NCAA.
Jayda Johnson's 15 points off the bench led Tennessee State. She played extended minutes as Chelsea Hudson, TSU's top player, was in foul trouble much of the night. Hudson finished with 12 points, but was frustrated by the Trojans and played just 21 minutes.
The Lady Tigers shot 53 percent (17-of-32) in the second half and finished at 40 percent (29-of-72) overall. Troy finished at 37 percent (27-of-74), including 4-of-11 from long range. Rachel Reid hit three of those 3-pointers in the second half while Simiah Blount made her first 3-pointer as a Trojan in the first half.
Tennessee State struggled at the free throw line, hitting just 10-of-24 (42 percent) to keep Troy in the game.
Troy now takes a 10-day break between games. The next contest will come on Tuesday, December 30, when Texas State visits Trojan Arena for each team's Sun Belt opener. The game will tip off at 5:15 p.m. and mark the first half of a doubleheader with the Troy men's team hosting Texas State at 7:30 p.m.
For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find the Trojans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.
Troy (5-4) had a one-point halftime lead, but trailed for 19 minutes in the second half, including when it was down 70-69 with 38 seconds to play. That was when Ronita Garrett grabbed an offensive rebound to keep a Troy possession alive. She then found Kourtney Coleman open on the low block for a layup that gave Troy a 71-70 lead with 28 seconds to play.
Coleman then made an even bigger play, drawing a charge as Tennessee State's Brianna Lawrence drove to the basket on the next possession. The Trojans hit 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch to seal the game.
Garrett's offensive rebound gave her a third straight double-double as she poured in a team-high 16 points with 10 rebounds. Ashley Beverly-Kelley scored 14 points and Rachel Reid scored 10 points, all in the second half, to round out Troy's double-figure scorers.
"We are very proud to be going into Sun Belt play with a winning record," Troy head coach Chanda Rigby said. "However, we feel like we'll need to play much better to win in the Sun Belt. Though we're thankful for the win, it gave us a lot to go home and work on."
With the win in their final non-conference game, the Trojans will now enter Sun Belt play with a winning record for the first time since 2009-10. However, it wasn't easy getting there as the Lady Tigers outrebounded the Trojans, 57-48, on the night.
Tennessee State (3-7) grabbed 16 offensive rebounds in the first half alone, but Troy held a 31-30 advantage at the break. The Lady Tigers, however, started the second half with a 10-4 run and built their lead up to as many as nine points midway through the second.
From there, Troy went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 58-58 with 8:24 to go in the game. The game then stayed within two possessions, but Troy never regained the lead until Coleman's bucket in the final minutes.
Troy forced 29 Tennessee State turnovers, including two in the final 30 seconds, and scored 25 points off of them. The Trojans recorded 14 steals, upping their season average, which entering the game was good for 19th in the NCAA.
Jayda Johnson's 15 points off the bench led Tennessee State. She played extended minutes as Chelsea Hudson, TSU's top player, was in foul trouble much of the night. Hudson finished with 12 points, but was frustrated by the Trojans and played just 21 minutes.
The Lady Tigers shot 53 percent (17-of-32) in the second half and finished at 40 percent (29-of-72) overall. Troy finished at 37 percent (27-of-74), including 4-of-11 from long range. Rachel Reid hit three of those 3-pointers in the second half while Simiah Blount made her first 3-pointer as a Trojan in the first half.
Tennessee State struggled at the free throw line, hitting just 10-of-24 (42 percent) to keep Troy in the game.
Troy now takes a 10-day break between games. The next contest will come on Tuesday, December 30, when Texas State visits Trojan Arena for each team's Sun Belt opener. The game will tip off at 5:15 p.m. and mark the first half of a doubleheader with the Troy men's team hosting Texas State at 7:30 p.m.
For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find the Trojans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.
Ashley Beverly Kelley - Troy University Sports Hall of Fame
Monday, April 28
Underdogs Untold: Title Ticket Punched
Friday, April 04
Chanda Rigby WNIT Championship Press Conference
Friday, April 04
Chanda Rigby Postgame Press Conference - Illinois State
Thursday, April 03