Troy University Athletics
Troy University
0-5,0-0Sun Belt
Memphis
3-5,0-0AAC
Late Run to Memphis Falls Short for Women’s Basketball, Makayia Hallmon Joins 1,000 Point Club
12/2/2023 6:11:00 PM | Basketball (W)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A 56-point second-half comeback for Troy women's basketball fell short to Memphis 100-88 in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon. Individually, Makayia Hallmon joins the 1,000-point club with an 11-point performance.
The Trojans (0-5) suffer their fifth straight loss to open the 2023-24 season despite outscoring the Tigers (3-5) 29-20 in the final quarter as Memphis gets back in the win column.
Five Trojans entered double-figures as Tai'Sheka Porchia extended her perfect record with a 13-point performance on 5-of-7 from the charity stripe and 4-of-8 from the field. Nia Daniel led Troy with 17 points and Zay Dyer secured her first career double-double as a Trojan with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The final Trojan in double-digits was Shaulana Wagner, who came alive with nine of her 11 points in the second half.
Memphis saw its all-time leading 3-point shooter, Madison Griggs, score 22 points with four 3-pointers. Alisia Smith also had her way with a dominant double-double performance on 16 points and 14 rebounds. Overall, 11 Tigers found their way onto the scoreboard, with 14 checking in.
Not Our Half
Both sides exchanged blows early on as Nia Daniel pulled up just outside the paint to bring Troy back within two, 8-6, with 6:54 left in the quarter.
From there, Memphis slowly wore away at the Trojans, responding to every bucket before going on an 8-0 run in the final 2:04 of the first. Layken Cox opened the run after a pair of Shaniah Nunn free throws, netting the turnaround jumper, 20-13.
The second quarter saw more of the same as the Tigers finished the second half at 48.7 percent from the field with a pair of triples and eight free throws. Meanwhile, the Trojans shot 34.2 percent with no triples and six free throws as the Tigers entered the locker room with a 50-32 advantage.
Phenomenal Second Half
Memphis' lead peaked at the 5:09 mark of the third quarter when Ki'Ari Caindrove went inside to convert the layup for her 10th point. However, a missed triple led to the offensive rebound for Gabbi Cartagena and an and-one for Porchia to open a 6-0 run, which led to Troy outscoring Memphis 19-11 in the final 4:34 and finishing the quarter 80-59.
Kai Carter pushed Memphis' lead back to 25 with 5:10 left in the fourth off a Cox steal, 93-68. Daniel sparked the Trojans at the free throw line 0:16 later to trim the deficit to 23, 93-70, before Porchia did the same, 93-72.
Troy kept pushing back after Latazia Williamson made her lone bucket, going on a 5-0 run that was capped off by a Sara Carvajal Caro second-chance bucket, 95-77, with 2:58 left.
In the final 1:39, the Trojans hit their stride, scoring nine unanswered points. The run started with a Dyer layup, 100-81, and ended with a pair of Carvajal Caro free throws, 100-88.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"We have got a lot of good players. We just got to put this all together. Nia Daniel was a bright spot. She was more a finesse shooter in her first year but she's gotten a lot tougher. She has risen up. I also want to shout out Zay Dyer with a huge double-double and Shaniah Nunn. The stats might not show it, but she went out there and drew three fouls in the first quarter and that was huge. Also, Shaulana Wagner just keeps trying to make things happen. She keeps going at it and I can appreciate that. We just got to put the pieces together and keep the faith."
Stats From Memphis
• Hallmon scored her 1,003rd career point for Troy with 4:43 remaining in the first quarter to join the elite 1,000-point club. Her 11-point performance tallies her career points at 1,012.
• The Trojans saved the best for last as they combined for 33.9 percent through the first three quarters but shot 50 percent in the fourth alone.
• Troy's bench came alive throughout the game, with Dyer and Wagner scoring in double-figures. As a unit, Troy's bench outscored Memphis 41-30.
• With 25 offensive rebounds, Troy dominated the boards, winning 51-40, which resulted in 25 second-chance points.
• Carvajal Caro had a breakout performance in her six minutes played, being the only Trojan to finish in the plus margin at plus-11. She also notched career highs in points (6), steals (1), blocks (1) and rebounds (2).
• Hallmon impressed at the free throw line, shooting a perfect 7-of-7 from the line to finish with 13 points.
Next Stop: Athens, Ga.
Troy's next contest sees it travel to Athens, Georgia, as the team takes on Georgia for the second SBC-SEC matchup of 2023-24.
