Troy Knocks Off Georgia Southern

Thursday, January 26

Troy, Ala.

6 PM

Troy University

14-5, 7-1

Georgia Southern

7-12, 3-5

Georgia Southern

Troy

Photo by: Chris Davis

1/26/2017 9:44:00 PM | Basketball (W)

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By: Wes Johnson

TROY, Alabama – The Troy women's basketball team improved to 14-5 overall to match its best start in program history with a 77-67 victory over Georgia Southern on Thursday in Trojan Arena.

The Trojans last started a season 14-5 in 1996-97 as the team went on the finish the year 23-7 and earn its first ever NCAA Tournament berth.

Troy (14-5, 7-1) built a 13-point lead with 8:45 remaining in the second quarter, but that advantage quickly evaporated as Georgia Southern went on a 19-4 run to take a 31-29 lead. ArJae' Saunders hit a jumper just before time expired in the half to draw the teams even heading into the locker room.

In contrast to the first meeting between the schools on Jan. 7 when the Trojans made 10-of-20 3-pointers in the first half, Troy struggled from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes shooting just 4-for-23. However, Jayla Chills opened the second half with a bang knocking down a shot from distance. From there, the Trojans outscored Georgia Southern 27-14 in the quarter. Troy finished the game 9-of-39 from 3-point range, but the attempt total marked the highest for the team in Trojan Arena history – previously 34 set against Georgia Southern in 2016.

The Eagles (7-12, 3-5) fought back from a 15-point deficit – its largest of the game – in the fourth quarter, to make it a 60-55 game before Caitlyn Ramirez scored seven of the game's last 19 points to put the game out of reach.

Chills finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds to earn her second double-double of the season. Ramirez also landed 19 points with six boards. ArJae' Saunders chipped in with 10 points while Amanda Mendoza added six to go along with five assists.

Troy entered the game leading the nation with 20 offensive rebounds per game and nearly matched its average with 19 in the game. The Trojans totaled 49 boards on the night to Georgia Southern's 46.

Angel McGowan led the way for the visitors with 23 points on 7-of-20 shooting. Alexis Foulks turned in a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

UP NEXT
Troy hosts Georgia State on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Trojans defeated GSU 89-86 in the first meeting this season on Jan. 5.

NOTABLE
• Troy has won eight of its last nine games.

• Caitlyn Ramirez has scored in double-digits in five of her last six games.

• The Trojans were 16-of-20 (80 percent) from the free throw line.

• Troy turned the ball over just 13 times matching its lowest mark of the season.

• The Trojans have won 10 straight in the series against Georgia Southern.

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.