Troy University Athletics
Saturday, January 28
Troy, Ala.
4 p.m.
Troy University
13-8,8-2Sun Belt
100
vs
77
Georgia Southern
13-6,5-5Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Ga. Southern
23
9
19
26
77
Troy
21
20
29
30
100
Team Stats
GS
TROY
FG%
.382
.371
3FG%
.258
.320
FT%
.524
.769
RB
56
59
TO
26
12
STL
9
17
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Basketball (W)G
/ Basketball (W)
G
/ Basketball (W)F
/ Basketball (W)
Women's Hoops Takes Over Sole Possession of First Place, Runs Past Georgia Southern
1/28/2023 7:42:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – In a matchup of two of the top 10 scoring teams in the country, Troy hit the 100-point mark for the third time this season in a 100-77 victory over Georgia Southern in Sun Belt action Saturday in Trojan Arena.
Troy's victory, coupled with losses by James Madison and Southern Miss, pushed the Trojans (13-8, 8-2) into sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt with eight games remaining before the conference tournament. The Trojans ended the first half on a 14-1 run en route to their 11th straight win (11-0) over Georgia Southern at home.
"I was prepared to draw up last-second plays at the end because that's usually how these two teams play," head coach Chanda Rigby said. "But we really just ran away with it at the end of the second quarter and on through the fourth quarter. I'm proud of Jada's (Walton) energy coming off the bench. It wasn't just her scoring; it was her rebounding that caught on with everyone else."
Georgia Southern (13-6, 5-5) entered the game ranked fourth in the country, averaging 85.5 points per game, while Troy was ninth at 82.2 points per contest. The Trojans hit 36 shots from the floor, the fifth time in six games passing the 30-field goal mark and converted 31 offensive rebounds into 28 second-chance points for their eighth win in the last nine games. Troy's 36 shots made are a season high in a regulation game against a Division I opponent this season.
Ja'Mia Hollings and Makayia Hallmon led the Trojans with 19 points each, while Nia Daniel had 18 points, Walton scored 15 points off the bench and Tia'Sheka Porchia added 10. All 10 Trojans who stepped on the court scored in the game.
The Trojans trailed by two, 23-21, after the first quarter and found themselves down 29-23 with 5:46 to play in the half. However, the following 11 minutes were total domination, with Troy going on a 34-8 run to take a 57-37 lead with 4:36 to play in the third quarter.
Troy led by as many as 30 points, 91-61, with 4:30 to play in the game before Georgia Southern hit a trio of triples down the stretch to close the final gap to a 23-point margin.
Hollings not only had a strong night putting the ball through the net, but she also controlled the game in all other aspects with 10 rebounds, four steals, four blocks and an assist. In Troy's two games this week, Hollings averaged 21 points and 15 rebounds in addition to recording five total steals, blocking five shots and dishing out three assists.
Walton added four assists, two steals and two blocks, while Porchia had seven rebounds. Sharonica Hartsfield didn't light up the scoreboard for the Trojans but did the little things with six boards, three assists and four steals.
Troy's defense was relentless, forcing 25 Georgia Southern turnovers, its second most of the season, with 17 coming on Trojan steals. Troy only turned the ball over 12 times in the game while dishing out 19 assists.
Up Next
The Sun Belt schedule flips over for the first time as Troy travels to Texas State (Thursday) and Louisiana (Saturday) for their first rematches of the season. The Trojans won the previous meetings against the Bobcats and Cajuns this year.
Notable
• The Trojans have won 42 of their last 48 Sun Belt Conference games and 49 of their last 56 league games dating back to the 2019-20 season.
• Troy is 39-5 in its last 44 Sun Belt Conference home games since the 2018-19 seasons.
• Troy fell out of first place in the national rankings for rebounds per game heading into Thursday's game against South Alabama; that lasted one night after Troy pulled in 63 rebounds to pass No. 1 South Carolina and regain the nation's lead with 51.2 per game. The Trojans followed with 59 rebounds in the win over Georgia Southern.
• Troy has won 21 of the last 22 meetings against Georgia Southern and all 11 meetings in Troy.
• Troy has held seven of its last nine opponents to less than 29 percent shooting from beyond the 3-point line. The Eagles shot just 25.8 percent (8-for-31) on Saturday.
• Troy has 20-plus offensive rebounds in 11 games this season, including in nine of its last 15 games, after pulling down 31 offensive boards on Saturday. On the flip side, the Trojans have yielded 20 or more offensive rebounds in a game just four times.
• Troy's 31 offensive rebounds marked the fourth time this season that the Trojans have pulled down 30-plus offensive boards, the first since 32 offensive rebounds against LaGrange on Dec. 14.
• Troy hit 8-of-25 shots from beyond the arc to improve to 4-5 in games when it makes six or more 3-pointers; the Trojans are 9-3 on the year when making five or fewer 3-pointers in a game.
• Troy is an impressive 42-7 inside the friendly confines of Trojan Arena over the last four seasons.
• Troy had 17 steals in the game and have now recorded double-digit steals in a game 14 times this season; Troy is 11-3 in those games. On the flip side, Troy has surrendered double-digit steals just four times this season.
• Troy has made 33 3-pointers in the last four games after combining for 20 in the previous five games.
• After holding Georgia Southern to 38.2 percent shooting, Troy has held seven of its last nine opponents to less than 40 percent shooting; the Trojans have won all seven of those games.
• Troy shot 76.9 percent (20-of-26) from the free throw line, its second-best shooting percentage from the line this year, with 20 or more attempts.
• Troy's eight blocks against the Eagles were a season-high against a Division I opponent (Troy had 15 against LaGrange). The eight blocks were the most by the Trojans since blocking 10 Georgia Southern shots last season (Jan. 27, 2022).
Ashley Beverly Kelley - Troy University Sports Hall of Fame
Monday, April 28
Underdogs Untold: Title Ticket Punched
Friday, April 04
Chanda Rigby WNIT Championship Press Conference
Friday, April 04
Chanda Rigby Postgame Press Conference - Illinois State
Thursday, April 03