Troy University Athletics
Troy University
0-3,0-0Sun Belt
Tennessee
3-1,0-0SEC
Troy Wraps Up Battle to No. 15 Tennessee
11/19/2023 4:31:00 PM | Basketball (W)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following an intense first quarter where the score remained tied at 21 apiece, the Troy women's basketball program falls to No. 15 Tennessee at the Food City Center Sunday afternoon, 100-73.
The Trojans remain searching for their first win, starting 0-3 for the first time since 2011-12, while the Lady Volunteers grab their second straight victory to push their record to 3-1.
Nia Daniel scored 19 points on four made threes to lead the Trojans. Behind her, Tai'Sheka Porchia (18), Ja'Mia Hollings (16) and Shaulana Wagner (10) also ended in double-figures.
For the Lady Volunteers, it was a two-headed monster in Karoline Stripline (19-14) and Jillian Hollingshead (18-10), who combined for two double-doubles on 37 points and 24 rebounds. Destinee Wells also made her presence known offensively with 18 points and a game-high eight assists.
Never Quit
Porchia responded to Tennessee quickly to open the second quarter, grabbing her miss and scoring the second-chance layup, 23-23, 1:38 in. The Lady Volunteers responded with a 10-0 run that capped off on a Sara Puckett 3-pointer at 5:54, 33-23.
Despite a deep ball from Daniel with 5:11 left in the half, 33-26, to trim the deficit to seven, the Trojans couldn't drop it any lower as the Lady Volunteers began to balloon their advantage.
With 5:41 remaining in the ballgame, Troy found itself down by 28 off a Hollingshead lay-in. However, the Trojans kept fighting as Wagner and Porchia cut the deficit to 24, 88-64, with 4:18 left.
The fight continued to the final buzzer when Gabbi Cartagena took the assist from Hollings and drilled a triple as time expired to wrap up the game, 100-77.
Tied Through One
Troy set the tone early in the first quarter when it responded to a Tennessee bucket within 14 seconds to tie the game 0:35 into the first off a Wagner jumper inside the paint, 2-2.
The Lady Volunteers tried enforcing themselves down low before Hollings and Porchia combined for back-to-back buckets for the game's second tie, 7-7, with 6:53 left.
Both sides delivered blows, with Troy keeping the Lady Volunteers within a possession before taking its first lead of the game with 2:31 remaining. Off a Triplin turnover, Daniel missed a deep two but followed it to grab her rebound. The ball ended in Wagner's hand before drawing the defense and opening Hollings up for a 3-ball, 14-13.
Tennessee reclaimed the lead and pushed it to four, 20-16, on a second-chance 3-pointer from Wells. However, Troy caught fire in the final 1:20 on a bucket from Porchia and a 3-pointer from Daniel to finish the quarter tied at 21.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"We had a good fight and we saw some really good things. We are grateful for the opportunity today to play some great competition. Our biggest issue tonight was rebounds. They were bigger than us and it played a factor. What I talked about before the game was giving it all we got. And we did that. We showed character in that fourth quarter. We did not lay down and let things happen. We went as far as almost winning that fourth quarter. Our identity is how we fight. Our ultimate goal is not to beat Tennessee. It's to win a Sun Belt Championship and this game helped us."
Stats From Knoxville
• The Trojans stayed tied with Tennessee at the end of the first quarter, 21-21, outscoring them in points from turnovers (3-0) and fast breaks (4-0) while outshooting them 38.1 to 30.8 percent.
• For the third consecutive game, four Trojans ended in double figures, with Porchia, Hollings, Daniel and Wagner accounting for 63 of 73 points (86.3 percent).
• Troy impressed with limiting turnovers, keeping it at eight compared to Tennessee's 16.
• For the third straight game since coming to Troy, Wagner finished in double figures. She also dished out a team-high seven assists and grabbed four rebounds.
• Despite losing the rebound battle, nine of the 10 Trojans who checked into the game secured a rebound – Porchia led with eight.
Thanksgiving Break
Troy takes a nine-day hiatus from the schedule before returning to Trojan Arena on Nov. 29 to wrap up the month of November against Belmont.
