Troy Fights Off Feisty Georgia State, 90-86

Sunday, December 31

Troy, Ala.

1 P.M.

Troy University

7-6, 2-0SBC

Georgia State

4-9, 0-2SBC

Georgia State

Troy

Troy Fights Off Feisty Georgia State, 90-86

12/31/2017 5:02:00 PM | Basketball (W)

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By: Wes Johnson

TROY, Alabama – After suffering an eye-opening loss to Georgia State at home last season, the Troy women's basketball team was prepared for test on Sunday and came away victorious, 90-86, in Trojan Arena.

Senior Chelsey Gibson, a Marquette transfer, turned her best overall performance of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds including a jumper with 2:06 to play to give Troy the lead for good. Gibson scored 17 points against Montevallo on Dec. 9, but was averaging just 4.5 points per game entering the contest.

"When you look at the stat sheet, Chelsey isn't one that really catches your eye," Troy head coach Chanda Rigby said. "But I felt like Chelsey was going to have a great performance tonight, she's always ready to go, and she came out and did it."

The Trojans (7-6, 2-0 Sun Belt) trailed by as many as nine points in the second quarter, but Gibson's 3-pointer with 59 seconds left in the half gave Troy the lead and set the tone for the final 20 minutes.

Georgia State (4-9, 0-2) rallied from an early 11-point deficit – highlighted by three consecutive Troy 3-pointers to open the game – with a 15-0 run. The Panthers continued to make life difficult for the home team knocking down 12 threes in the contest led by Janessa Murphy, who was 7-for-9 from beyond the arc and had 25 points on the day. Kierra Henry was 9-of-14 from the field to tally a game-best 28 points.

Amber Rivers made back-to-back baskets down the stretch of the third period to open a seven-point lead. Rivers finished with 16 points and 10 boards marking the first time Troy had two players finish a game with a double-double since Caitlyn Ramirez and ArJae' Saunders did it against Arkansas State in January.

With the game tied at 84-all and 2:09 to play, Gibson knocked down a jumper and the Trojans forced a pair of turnovers to essentially ice the game.

Two days after striking down three 3-pointers against Georgia Southern, Harriet Winchester was again deadly from distance making 6-of-13 shots from outside the arc and ended with a team-high 18 points.

QUOTABLE
"They (Georgia State) are a team that is really similar to us, we both try to do some of the same things, so it's always a battle as to who can out their game plan the best," Troy head coach Chanda Rigby said. "They did a great job tonight, we were on the ropes the whole time. It was just a great game to be a part of."

UP NEXT
The Trojans are back on the road next week with a two-game Texas swing. Troy takes on UT Arlington on Thursday at 5 p.m. before venturing to San Marcos for a date with Texas State on Saturday at 2 p.m.

NOTEWORTHY
• After making 11 threes on Friday, Troy was 12-for-33 from 3-point range on Sunday.

• Troy outrebounded Georgia State 54-34 marking the second time this season the Trojans have posted a +20 or greater rebounding margin.

• The Trojans hauled in 23 offensive rebounds leading to 23 second chance points. Troy entered the game second in the nation averaging 23 offensive boards per game.

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