Troy Drops Last Possession Heartbreaker to Alabama

Thursday, March 17

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

24-9,13-2Sun Belt

Alabama

18-13,6-10SEC

Alabama

Troy

Troy Drops Last Possession Heartbreaker to Alabama

3/17/2022 10:11:00 PM | Basketball (W)

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Troy clawed back from an eight-point deficit at the half to bring the matchup back within a possession but dropped a last-second heartbreaker to Alabama, 82-79, in the first round of the WNIT Thursday in Trojan Arena.

Despite being down as many as 11 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Trojans (24-9, 13-2 Sun Belt) refused to back down, cutting it down to a one possession game with seven seconds to go.

A controversial travel call on a fight for the ball off the inbound in the winding seconds of the contest allowed Alabama (18-13, 6-10 SEC) to run the clock out.

Megan Abrams led all scorers with 24 points.

For the Trojans, Tina Stephens and Amber Leggett paced the way with 13 points each.

How It Happened
The Trojans and Crimson Tide battled toe-to-toe through the opening four minutes before Troy broke open a 12-0 run. The run started with a Jhileiya Dunlap jumper and spanned all the way to the 3:56 mark when Sharonica Hartsfield knocked down a three-pointer to put the Trojans up 16-9. However, a 10-3 run in favor of Alabama to close the quarter cut Troy's lead to 22-19 at the end of the first.

Alabama's sharp shooting continued as it took a 26-24 lead off a Brittany Davis layup with 7:25 to play in the second. The two squads traded makes before the Crimson Tide ended the quarter on an 8-2 stretch to take a 42-34 lead at the half.

After Jada Rice opened the third quarter with a layup to make it a 10-point deficit, the Trojans began to rally back, cutting it to a single-digit deficit before the end of the quarter. With 4:43 to play in the third, Troy utilized a 6-0 run, sparked by a pair of buckets from Ja'Mia Hollings, to cut the score to 53-48. Both sides traded the last four scores to set up a 59-52 affair heading into the final 10 minutes of action.

A fast-paced opening two minutes of the fourth saw Alabama advance its lead to 68-57. Tiyah Johnson opened up an 11-0 run with a make from the charity stripe that cut it to a one-point game, 78-77, that ultimately set up the final controversial call.

Quotable – Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"I'm really proud of our team. Obviously, I wish this game would've gone the other way. I am so thankful for the crowd and all of Trojan Nation that came out. We started out hot and were pressuring the ball well. The team kept a great tempo. We outrebounded them, had more bench points and made more field goals. It came down to free throws. But, I am proud of the team. I just hate that it ended this way."

Notable

Tonight marked the second time in program history that the Trojans hosted a postseason matchup after welcoming UAB into Trojan Arena for the first round of the WNIT during the 2018-19 season.
The Trojans' historic 2021-22 campaign was highlighted by securing the 2021-22 Sun Belt Regular Season Championship after notching a 13-2 record in conference action.
The impressive run included a win over Mississippi State, 73-66, on the Bulldogs' home court.
The Trojans also boasted an 11-game win streak, spanning from Jan. 15 with a win over ULM to Troy's Sun Belt Tournament Semifinals win over Little Rock.
For the fourth consecutive season, the Trojans played in the postseason. Troy made the NCAA tournament in 2020-21 and 2019-20 (despite not playing due to COVID) and the WNIT in 2018-19.