Troy Battles to Defeat South Alabama

Saturday, February 4

Troy, Ala.

2 PM

Troy University

15-6, 8-2

South Alabama

7-14, 2-8

South Alabama

Troy

Photo by: Chris Davis

2/4/2017 5:50:00 PM | Basketball (W)

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By: Wes Johnson

TROY, Alabama – Trailing by one with just under a minute to play, senior Jayla Chills made a jumper from just inside the arc to give the Troy women's basketball team the lead for good en route to a 75-71 win over South Alabama on Saturday in Trojan Arena.

The Trojans (15-6, 8-2 SBC) fell behind late in the game after leading by as many as 17 points in the second quarter, but senior Kristen Emerson, averaging just six minutes per game, stepped up when it mattered the most. Down by three, Emerson made a layup to cut the deficit to one, then hauled in a crucial rebound on the defensive end before getting the assist on Chills' go-ahead shot. Emerson then collected another rebound and drew a foul before knocking down a pair of free throws to effectively ice the game.

Chills finished the contest with a team-high 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Emerson tallied four rebounds in just seven minutes of action.

Troy led big in the first half and allowed the Jaguars just nine points in the opening quarter, but the team went cold in the second half shooting just 22.9 percent over the final 20 minutes while South Alabama hit 48.3 percent of its shots over the span.

ArJae' Saunders got the Trojans off on the right foot with nine of the team's 20 first quarter points, but the senior managed just three points the rest of the way to finish with 12 on the day. Caitlyn Ramirez, who led the team in scoring entering the game, was quiet most of the afternoon, but with the assistance of five free throws ended with 12 points and seven rebounds.

South Alabama (7-14, 2-8) turned the ball over 30 times in the contest. Colby Davis paced all scorers with 20 points while Chyna Ellis turned in a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

QUOTABLE
"It's a great win in Trojan Arena against our rival South Alabama," head coach Chanda Rigby said. "I thought we started the game as well as we could start a game, then over the course of the game we let that drop. The third quarter was a nightmare for us, so I'm really proud of the team for finding a way to win."

RUN OF THE GAME
South Alabama made five consecutive field goals to cut the Troy lead to just five with 5:02 left in the third quarter. The Jaguars eventually battled back to take its first lead of the game with just over eight minutes to play in the contest.

UP NEXT
Troy travels to take on ULM (Feb. 9) and UL Lafayette (Feb. 11). It will be the only matchup with the Louisiana schools this regular season.

NOTABLE
• Troy forced 30 turnovers in the game and scored 17 points as a result.

• The Trojans were 10-of-17 (58.8%) in the second quarter, but were just 4-of-20 (20%) in the third period.

• Troy has won three straight against South Alabama including both matchups this season. The win evened the all-time series at 21-21.

• The Trojans improved to 7-2 at home this season.

• After scoring 80-plus points in 10 of its first 14 games, Troy has reached the plateau just twice in the last seven contests.

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.