Strong Finish Lifts Troy Over South Alabama

Saturday, December 31

Mobile, Ala.

1 PM

Troy University

8-4 (1-0SBC)

South Alabama

5-7 (0-1SBC)

Troy

South Alabama

Photo by: Chris Davis

Strong Finish Lifts Troy Over South Alabama

12/31/2016 3:22:00 PM | Basketball (W)

Box Score Box Score

By: Wes Johnson

MOBILE, Alabama – After shooting just 23.9 percent in the first half, the Troy women's basketball team exploded over the final seven minutes to take a 73-57 win over South Alabama in Mitchell Center on Saturday.

Troy's shooting woes began after jumping out to an early 7-2 lead. The Trojans converted just 11 of 46 shots in the first half, were 0-for-10 from 3-point range and scored just nine points in the second quarter. The frustrations continued until freshman guard Kayla Robinson hit a 3-pointer with 4:59 remaining in the third period. One minute later, Lauren Day made consecutive layups before Caitlyn Ramirez knocked down a pair of free throws and Jayla Chills added a basket to cap an 8-0 run to give the Trojans the lead, 44-42.

From there, Troy's pressure defense forced eight turnovers over the last 7:42 and the team converted on the offensive side using a 24-3 run to open a 20-point advantage, 73-53. Ta'Kierra Gibbs was clutch down the stretch knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in the final quarter. Troy finished with 59 rebounds well above its season average of 50, which ranked second in the nation entering the game.

The Trojans (8-4, 1-0) open Sun Belt Conference play with a victory for the first time since 2009-10. Claresa Banks registered her second career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Genesis Perrymond scored 21 points to pace the Jaguars (5-7, 0-1), while Chyna Ellis added 14 to go along with nine rebounds

UP NEXT
Troy travels to face Georgia State on Thursday and Georgia Southern on Saturday. The Trojans were 4-0 combined versus the Peach State squads last 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.