Trojans Face Rival in Sun Belt Opener

Saturday, December 31

Mobile, Ala.

1 PM

Troy University

South Alabama

Photo by: Chris Davis

12/30/2016 2:31:00 PM | Basketball (W)

By: Wes Johnson

Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats | Game Notes

TROY, Alabama – The Troy women's basketball team will face South Alabama on the road to open Sun Belt Conference play on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mitchell Center.

The Trojans (7-4) play their first three conference games on the road with matchups against Georgia State and Georgia Southern taking place next week. Troy fell to USA in both regular season meetings a year ago but knocked off the Jaguars in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

South Alabama (5-6) has dropped its last two contests, most recently a 66-41 decision to UAB on Dec. 21. The Jags are led by forward Chyna Ellis, who is averaging a team-best 10.4 points and 6.9 rebounds to go along with 26 blocks on the season.

Jayla Chills continued to pace the Trojans offensively in the team's last outing, a 118-72 win over Armstrong State on Thursday. Chills landed 19 points, the sixth game this season she's scored in double figures. Amanda Mendoza turned in 13 points with three 3-pointers along the way, while freshman Kayla Robinson posted seven assists.

BROADCAST INFO
TV: None
Online: USAJaguars.com
Radio: WTBF 94.7 FM
Online: TroyTrojans.com
Live Stats: TroyStats.com

SERIES HISTORY
SOUTH ALABAMA (5-6)
Overall Series: USA leads 21-19
At Troy: USA leads 13-6
Streak: Troy W1
Last: March 9, 2016
Troy won 62-49 (in New Orleans, La.)
*Sun Belt Conference Tournament

PLAYERS TO WATCH
TROY:
Jayla Chills: 12.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.9 spg
Kayla Robinson: 8.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2,4 apg

SOUTH ALABAMA:
Chyna Ellis: 10.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 26 blocks

NOTEWORTHY
• Troy is 5^th in the NCAA averaging 89.2 points per game

• The Trojans have scored 80-plus points 66 times under head coach Chanda Rigby

• Troy has played at least 12 players in every game this season.

For more information on Troy women's basketball, visit TroyTrojans.com or follow the team on Twitter at @TroyTrojansWBB.

The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy. New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12. For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the @FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.