Troy Wins East Division Title with road win over Coastal Carolina

Saturday, February 27

Conway, S.C.

3 p.m.

Troy University

19-5,15-2Sun Belt

103

Coastal Carolina

3-14,0-13Sun Belt

Troy

103

Coastal Carolina

Troy Wins East Division Title with road win over Coastal Carolina

2/27/2021 6:26:00 PM | Basketball (W)

Box Score

By: Troy Athletics Communications

CONWAY, S.C. – Troy women's basketball spoiled senior night for Coastal Carolina on Saturday with its third 100+ point scoring game of the season and second against the Chanticleers. The Trojans closed out the 2020-21 regular season with a 103-89 win to end the Sun Belt regular season with a 15-2 record.

Troy (19-5, 15-2 SBC, .882 percentage) ended the regular season with the most wins in the Sun Belt Conference for the second-straight season, however, due to the league deciding to use winning percentage to declare a champion, the Trojans finished as the East Division Champions but the league runner-up to Louisiana (14-5, 13-1 SBC, .928 percentage).

On Saturday, the Trojans were led offensively by Tiyah Johnson who scored a team-high 21-points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field while making a career-high, five three-pointers. Four other Trojans scored in double-figures; Felmas Koranga (18), Tyasia Moore (17), Alexus Dye (16) and Janiah Sandifer (16). From the field Troy shot 39 percent on 36-of-92 shooting while going 10-for-20 from behind-the-arc. Coastal Carolina (3-14, 0-13 SBC) was led by Deaja Richardson who had 27 and Aja Blount who scored 26. The Chanticleers shot 45 percent from the field and 47 percent from three.

"The level of competition was incredible," head coach Chanda Rigby said. "[Coastal Carolina] kept matching us every time we would score and we kept trading baskets. We tightened the defense up in the second-half. Coach Neil Harrow suggested at halftime for us to stop changing defenses so much. It usually throws teams off but tonight Coastal kept scoring when we changed defenses. So, we stayed in our man-to-man defense and got a little more consistent. I'm very proud of the rebounding effort. I don't think Felmas Koranga could have played any better or rebounded any harder."

𝑬𝑨𝑺𝑻 𝑫𝑰𝑽𝑰𝑺𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺‼️ pic.twitter.com/ru6LObLzCL
— Troy Women's Basketball (@TroyTrojansWBB) February 27, 2021

How It Happened
The Trojans started slow for the second-consecutive night in Conway, as the Chanticleers raced out to an early lead that it didn't relinquish until the second-quarter. Troy earned its first lead since the opening seconds of the contest, in the second quarter before Coastal would take it right back at 29-30. The one-point deficit for Troy would be its last time trailing in the game as Sharonica Hartsfield drilled a triple from the corner to give the Trojans a 32-30 lead before going into the locker room with an eight-point advantage.

In the second-half Troy began to break away from Coastal, opening the third on an 11-6 run. The lead slowly grew as the Troy defense began to cause the Chanticleers fits, only allowing Coastal to score back-to-back field goals once in the third.

After outscoring Coastal 31-21 in the third, Troy's second-straight quarter with 30+ points scored, Troy continued to build its lead in the fourth, eventually getting it to a game-high 20 with just over five minutes to play before closing out the night with 103-89 victory.

Who Stood Out
Felmas Koranga had a career game for the Trojans. The junior posted a career-high in total rebounds (19) while tying a career-high in points scored with 18. Koranga shot 50 percent from the field on 9-of-18 shooting while adding three blocked shots, two steals and one assist.

Quoting Coach Rigby
On Felmas Koranga
"She is just constantly a threat to get every rebound that comes off the glass and now she is becoming a threat to score. She's one of our most intense players. At The end of games she is the one making big plays for us when we need it, so we just ask her to take the intensity that she has at the end of games and move it up earlier in the game and she is really starting to do that."

Notables
• Troy improved to 8-3 overall against Coastal Carolina and 3-2 when the game is played in Conway, S.C.
• This was Troy's fourth straight win over Coastal Carolina this season
• Alexus Dye recorded her 19th double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds
• Troy scored at least 90 points for the ninth time this season
• Troy dominated the rebound war with a 66-33 advantage. Troy's 66 rebounds were a season-high and the most in a single game since grabbing 69 at Arkansas State last season
• Troy and Coastal each scored 40 points in the paint on Saturday
• Jasmine Robinson set a career-high with 10 assists. It's the first 10+ assist game for a Trojan since Kayla Robinson had 10 against App State on Jan. 22, 2018. Robinson ended the game with nine points
• Troy was 21-for-25 at the free throw line, 84 percent

Up Next
Troy will head to Pensacola, Fla. for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament March 5-8. The Trojans, who are the top seed in the East Division, earned a first round bye and will play at 11 a.m. on March 6 in the Bay Center Arena against the winner of game one that will feature the No. 4 seed from the West vs the No. 5 seed from the East.

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