Troy University Athletics
Thursday, January 15
Monroe, La.
5:15 p.m.
Troy University
9-5, 4-1
82
at
77
ULM
5-9, 1-4
1
2
F
Troy
21
61
82
ULM
33
44
77
Team Stats
TROY
ULM
FG%
.419
.377
3FG%
.158
.364
FT%
.607
.677
RB
43
54
TO
16
24
STL
12
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Basketball (W)G
/ Basketball (W)F
/ Basketball (W)G
/ Basketball (W)
Photo by: Joshua Thurston
Troy Scores 61 in Second Half, Wins Fourth Straight
1/15/2015 8:30:00 PM | Basketball (W)
MONROE, Louisiana – The Troy women's basketball team didn't give in after a bad first half and dominated the second in an 82-77 win over ULM at Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Thursday night. The Trojans have now won four straight Sun Belt games, with three coming on the road.
Troy (9-5, 4-1) was down 33-21 at halftime after its worst shooting half of the season (8-of-36, 22 percent). However, the Trojans responded with their best shooting half (23-of-38, 61 percent) and quickly got back in the game.
"This was a true road game in every sense of the word," head coach Chanda Rigby said. "We had to fight and overcome so much to pull out this win. We've got a special team to be able to score 61 points in the second half."
Troy opened the second half on a 14-2 run, behind seven of Aissata Maiga's nine points, over just three minutes to tie the score. From there it was back-and-forth as Lacey Buchanon took over down the stretch for Troy, scoring all of her career-high 19 points in the second half.
Ronita Garrett posted a second straight double-double, her ninth of the season, with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Garrett also posted three blocks while Ashley Beverly-Kelley was the third Trojan to score in double figures with 14 points.
After Troy tied the game with 17:34 to go, the next 15 minutes featured 10 ties and 15 lead changes, due in large part to Buchanon and Garrett for Troy. Down 72-71 with 1:30 to go, Buchanon converted a three-point play with 1:20 to go to give Troy a 74-72 lead.
After a stop on defense, Garrett hit a jumper to give Troy a four-point lead with 52 seconds to go. ULM got within one possession, but the Trojans were clutch from the charity stripe, hitting 6-of-6 free throws to seal the game. Troy started the game 10-of-21 from the free throw line before hitting its last seven.
Troy forced ULM (5-9, 1-4) into 24 turnovers, with 16 in the first half that helped the Trojans stay in the game despite their poor shooting. The Warhawks also hit just 33 percent (10-of-30) in the first half before finishing at 38 percent (26-of-69). Sharnice Brooks posted 28 points, mostly from the paint, to go along with 12 rebounds to lead ULM.
The Warhawks outrebounded the Trojans, 54-43, with most of that deficit coming in the first half due to Troy's poor shooting. Both sides posted 20-plus offensive rebounds as ULM posted a 23-17 advantage in second-chance points.
The win snapped a seven-game losing streak to ULM for the Trojans. It also gave Troy its first win in Monroe since 2007-08 and first win over the Warhawks under Rigby.
Troy is back in action on Saturday when it returns home to host Georgia Southern at Trojan Arena. Tip is set for 2 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 4:15 p.m. The Trojans will also play at home on Monday night when they host Appalachian State.
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.
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