Troy Looking for Third Straight Win

ATLANTA – The Troy women's basketball team will be looking for its third straight win when it travels to Georgia State on Saturday. Tipoff at the GSU Sports Arena is set for 11:00 a.m. CST.

Links to live stats and live video can be found on the women's basketball schedule page at TroyTrojans.com. A free live audio broadcast will be available for Trojan All-Access subscribers at TroyTrojans.com. Fans in Troy can also hear the game on WTBF 94.7 FM. To follow the action on Twitter, follow @TroyWomensBBall.

Troy (7-5, 2-1) has used strong defensive efforts to win its last two games, including a 70-63 victory over UT Arlington at home on Monday. The Trojans held UTA to 33 percent shooting, just two nights after holding UL Lafayette to 29 percent in a 60-55 win at the Cajundome.

On Monday against UT Arlington, the Troy bench was also a difference, outscoring UTA's bench 38-14. Rachel Reid scored 15 points off the bench while Caitlyn Ramirez had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

However, perhaps the biggest bench contribution came from Kristen Emerson who dominated inside with 10 rebounds and six blocks, the most blocks by a Trojan since 2000-01. Emerson now leads the Sun Belt with 2.1 blocks per game.

Ashley Beverly-Kelley led the Trojans in scoring with 17 points against UTA, including 14 in the second half. Beverly-Kelley is Troy's leading scorer this season at 14.8 points per game, ranking fifth in the Sun Belt. In conference play, the junior leads the league in scoring at 19.3 points per game. Beverly-Kelley is also averaging 2.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game this year.

Ronita Garrett is Troy's second leading scorer with 13.0 points per game, ranking eighth in the Sun Belt. Garrett also ranks second in the league in rebounding with 9.8 boards per contest. Her seven double-doubles are tied for first in the league.

Troy ranks second in the Sun Belt in scoring at 71.7 points per game. Now in Chanda Rigby's third season, the Trojans led the league in scoring in each of the first two. On Monday, UTA entered the game with the NCAA's fourth best scoring defense (48.9 ppg), but Troy surpassed that mark with 10:43 to go in the game and finished with 70 points.

Defensively, Troy is forcing 21.8 turnovers and getting 11.1 steals per game, ranking first and second in the Sun Belt, respectively. Troy has allowed 55 and 63 points in its last two games.

Georgia State (7-6, 2-2) is coming off of a 68-52 loss at UL Lafayette on Thursday night, a place where Troy won last weekend. The Panthers, along with Troy, are one of four Sun Belt teams averaging over 70 points per game this season. However, the Panthers are coming off of a season-low 52 points at ULL on Thursday where they shot just 37 percent.

No Panthers scored in double figures against the Cajuns, but GSU features a balanced scoring attack. Senior guard Kayla Nolan (11.7 ppg), freshman guard Makeba Ponder (11.4 ppg) and senior 6-foot-4 center Brittany Logan (11.1 ppg) all averaging double-figure scoring.

Georgia State leads the all-time series over Troy, 22-6, including a 12-1 mark in Atlanta. Troy and Georgia State were both members of the Atlantic Sun Conference from 1997 to 2005, a time over which GSU held a 16-3 advantage over the Trojans.

Last season, GSU's first in the Sun Belt, the two sides split the season series with each home team winning. On New Year's Day, Georgia State won in Atlanta, 85-77, but the game was tied with 1:00 remaining. On February 15 in Troy, the Trojans won 111-90 in what was the highest scoring conference game in Sun Belt history.

For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.

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Players Mentioned

Ashley Beverly Kelley

Kristen Emerson

Ronita Garrett

Caitlyn Ramirez

Rachel Reid

Troy University Athletics