Troy University Athletics
Troy University
3-8,0-1Sun Belt
Georgia State
7-4,1-0Sun Belt
Women's Basketball Drops Conference Opener at the Buzzer
12/31/2023 5:13:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – Troy women's basketball falls at the buzzer in an overtime contest 90-89 in Trojan Arena to Georgia State on Sunday afternoon.
The Trojans (3-8, 0-1 SBC) fall in the conference opener for the second straight season as Georgia State (7-4, 1-0 SBC) opens league play with their first win over Troy since Feb. 14, 2019.
Despite the loss, Troy's post dominated as Tai'Sheka Porchia and Ja'Mia Hollings earned a double-double. Hollings led the team with 27 points on 10-of-20 from the field and 13 rebounds, while Porchia grabbed 14 points and 12 rebounds. Leilani Guion and Makayia Hallmon also finished in double-digits as Guion drilled three triples.
Heroic efforts from Mikyla Tolivert led the way for the Panthers with 27 points and 10 rebounds, but Mya Williams won the game for Georgia State with her second triple at the buzzer – ended with 10 points and three rebounds. Crystal Henderson also found her way to a 24-point performance and seven assists.
Second Half Story
Troy led through the opening half as Hollings (15 points) and Tolivert (18 points) exchanged blows for each side. Through the opening 20 minutes, Troy shot 35.7 percent and held the Panthers to 30.8 to hold the 3-point advantage, 42-39.
It seemed to swing fully to Troy to open the third quarter when Hollings scored her 17th point on a lay-in 0:54 into the second half. The run continued to bolster to a double-digit lead when Sharonica Hartsfield nailed the jumper, 52-42, with 7:29 remaining.
The Panthers flipped the script in the final 4:23 of the quarter, outscoring the Trojans 20-6 with five points in the final two seconds, 68-63.
Tolivert put Troy down by five with 6:36 left in the fourth when Alyssa Phillip dished her a pass to set up the lay-in, 74-69. Hollings responded down low after a miss led to a Hartsfield offensive rebound and assist.
The bucket by Hollings sparked a 7-0 run that allowed Troy to retake the lead with 1:20 remaining in regulation, 76-74, on a jumper from Porchia. In the final 0:53, the Trojans went 4-of-4 from the stripe, but a second-chance triple by Tolivert with 0:09 left pushed the game to overtime, 80-80.
Hallmon got Troy started in overtime after Porchia won the tip. At 5-3, Hallmon bolted inside to draw the and-one layup 0:06 in, 83-80. Georgia State remained calm as Henderson and Tolivert combined for a pair of buckets to take the lead, 84-83, with 3:27 remaining.
The guard from Coushatta, La., wouldn't be denied a bucket as she responded with a missed jumper. However, Porchia was there for the offensive rebound. A few passes later, the ball ended up back in the hands of Hallmon. This time, she delivered the triple, 86-84 – 3:10 on the clock.
A triple from Henderson and a bucket by Hollings brought the score to 88-87 with 0:12 remaining. Tolivert tried making the winning pass, but Shaulana Wagner intercepted it and drew the foul. She split the shots at the line to put Troy up two, 89-87, with 0:04 left.
Troy did everything right in the final 0:04 seconds, forcing a jump ball with just 0:01 remaining. However, the possession arrow still pointed to the Panthers and Henderson delivered it to Williams on the inbound, and she cashed in the triple as time expired, 90-89.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"This one's tough. We came into this one so well after we won the Christmas Tournament. Both teams shot well to start. We found out in the fourth that we couldn't go to any other defense besides man. Our post players just needed to help with the guards, and it helped slow them down in the fourth. A couple of unlucky things and good possessions by them allowed the Panthers to grab this one. We have to figure things out faster. Overall, though, I'm just so proud of our post in Tai and Stixxs. They are coming into their own. We have to go into the film and get better. We aren't in the driver's seat, and we have to go play well on the road next week."
Conference Opener Stats
• Hartsfield took over the active leader in career starts for Troy with 58 in her four seasons – started in six games in 2023-24.
• Despite the loss, Troy led most of the ballgame at 29:57. Overall, the game had 13 lead changes and nine ties.
• Hollings' three blocks marked the most by a Trojan in 2023-24 – previous high was two by Leilani Guion.
• The Trojans managed a whopping 24 offensive rebounds, which allowed them to outscore the Panthers 31-18 on second-chance points.
• The pair of double-doubles from Porchia and Hollings marked the second occasion in 2023-24 – Porchia had 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Hollings had 17 points and 12 rebounds against Samford on Nov. 14.
Sticking With the Peach State
Troy continues its SBC journey when it rings in 2024 by traveling to Georgia Southern next Thursday, Jan. 4, in the Hanner Fieldhouse.
