Troy University Athletics
Troy University
1-7,0-0Sun Belt
Iowa State
6-4,0-0Big 12
Troy Falls to Iowa State
12/17/2023 3:50:00 PM | Basketball (W)
AMES, Iowa. – Troy women's basketball falls to Iowa State 105-68 despite heroic efforts from Makayia Hallmon in the fourth (15 points) Sunday afternoon in the Hilton Coliseum.
The non-conference slump continues for the Trojans as they fall to 1-7 for the first time since 2003-04, and the Cyclones jump to 6-4 with a second straight victory.
A quiet three quarters for Hallmon was met by a 15-point fourth quarter on 7-of-10 from the field. Ja'Mia Hollings was the only other Trojan in double-digits on 10 points as she shot 4-of-7 from the field. Off the bench, Felmas Koranga returned to the court for the first time in over a year to produce eight points in eight minutes.
Iowa State had two players end with 20-plus points: Audi Crooks finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, and Nyamer Diew had 20 points on six triples. Addy Brown also notched a double-double on 13 points and 14 rebounds while leading the team in assists at six.
Pulling Away
Iowa State managed to take control of the game early in the second when a triple by Hannah Belanger sparked a 6-0 run that ended on a 3-pointer by Diew with 7:53 left, 27-14.
With the lead pushed to 21 with 1:30 left in the half, 47-26, Troy caught fire via Koranga as she dished one to Gabbi Cartagena for a deep shot before swiping the ball from Belanger for a 2-point bucket by Hollings to cut the deficit to 16 as the clock expired, 47-31.
The third quarter saw both sides become equals, matching the other in nearly every statistical category. The Trojans managed to shoot 42.1 percent from the field and limit Iowa State to 25 percent from deep to trail 68-49.
Quarter No. 4 saw the Cyclones fire on all cylinders as they shot 64.7 percent from the field, 60 from deep and 75 from the charity stripe. Despite a valiant effort by Hallmon, where she scored 15 points (79 percent of the team's points), the Trojans couldn't keep up, 105-68.
Tight Through One
It was a silent opening two minutes to the ballgame as both sides exchanged turnovers until Iowa State broke through with three straight triples, 9-0, by the 2:49 mark.
Troy ended its scoreless drought on back-to-back buckets from Nia Daniel, 9-4, before a pair of triples from Hallmon and Hollings gave Troy its first lead, 10-9, with 5:22 left in the first.
The Cyclones went on their second run of the quarter with seven straight points, starting with a triple by Diew and ending with a lay-in by Crooks, 16-10 – 3:29 left.
As the quarter ticked down, neither side could find further separation. However, Troy got the final word with 0:41 left as Leilani Augmon found Tai'Sheka Porchia for the open jumper, 18-14.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"We played a very good team and had a great gameplan, thanks to coach Jennifer Graf. We managed to keep it close in the first because we were able to help control the post, which was huge because their post players are huge. They balked a little bit, but in the second, they altered to swinging it deep and letting it fly. We made some adjustments to a couple of players and that's when they went back down low. I'm disappointed in our rebounding. Yes, they are bigger than us. But that's no excuse. We have to get better. We have a quick turnaround with the Austin Peay Tournament."
Iowa Numbers
• Koranga returned to the court for the first time since Nov. 16, 2022, when she suffered a season-ending injury. She was able to check in for eight minutes and score eight points.
• The Trojan defense suffocated Iowa State in the first quarter, forcing seven turnovers on five steals – finished with 18.
• Porchia produced outside the score column as she led the team with rebounds (6) and steals (3).
• Troy outscored Iowa State on the fast break, producing eight points opposed to the Cyclones' five. The Trojans also tied the Cyclones in points off turnovers at 16.
• Troy shot well inside the arc, managing 44.2 percent on 52 attempts.
Christmas Time
The Trojans continue their road span with back-to-back games in the Austin Peay Christmas Tournament against Stephen F. Austin (Dec. 20) and New Mexico State (Dec. 21) in Clarksville, Tenn.
