Troy University Athletics
Troy University
7-8,4-1Sun Belt
James Madison
12-5,4-1Sun Belt
Troy Explodes in Third Quarter Over James Madison for Fourth Straight Victory
1/13/2024 6:06:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – In the second-ever meeting between Troy and James Madison, Troy reigned supreme over the defending champions 87-74 after taking over for a 31-18 third quarter Saturday afternoon in Trojan Arena.
The third quarter had Troy (7-8, 4-1 SBC) erupt on 57.9 percent shooting to win its fourth straight and deliver the Dukes their first conference loss of 2023-24.
Post players Ja'Mia Hollings (17 points, 14 rebounds) and Zay Dyer (13 points, 10 rebounds) recorded double-doubles behind an impressive 27-point performance by Makayia Hallmon on 12-of-23 from the field. Overall, the team won the fastbreak (25-8), bench point (29-19) and points off turnover (17-3) battles to claim victory.
Kseniia Kozlova impressed for JMU with a 19-point, 11-rebound performance, shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe. Peyton McDaniel and Jamia Hazell ended with 13 points apiece, but as a team, shooting 38 percent wasn't enough.
Third Quarter Explosion
Troy opened the third quarter down by two, 37-35, as JMU struck first with a triple by McDaniel 0:54 into the third. The post would respond for the Trojans as Hollings took the dish from Hallmon before Tai'Sheka Porchia converted the and-one jumper to tie the ballgame, 40-40, with 7:24 left in the third.
Both sides exchanged points to keep the game tied, 44-44, at the 3:48 mark. That's when Hallmon and Dyer combined with back-to-back buckets to give the Trojans their first lead, 48-44, since the opening bucket of the first – 5:16 left in the third.
A bucket by Hazell for JMU would pause the run for Troy before Hallmon opened a 9-0 run at the 5:21 mark off the assist from Sharonica Hartsfield, 50-46. The run went to 3:00 remaining when Leilani Augmon brought Troy's lead to double-figures, 57-46.
JMU managed to cut the deficit back to nine on a pair of free throws, 57-48, 0:15 later, but Troy would outscore the Dukes 9-7 off buckets from Augmon (3), Hallmon (4) and Hollings (2) to head into the fourth with an 11-point advantage, 66-55.
Finishing Touches
Like the third, JMU caught fire to open the final quarter, bringing the Troy lead down to six after a layup by Kozlova and a triple by Carole Miller with 9:05 left.
Nia Daniel ended the run for the Dukes at 1:21 when Hollings dished it to her for two, 68-60. JMU converted one free throw before Hallmon continued her 17-point second half with four straight points. Dyer continued the 6-0 run with a second-chance jumper to push Troy's lead to 13, 74-61, with 6:26 left.
Troy's lead never dipped below nine,74-65, from that point forward after back-to-back JMU buckets by Ashanti Barned and Chloe Sterling with 5:41 left.
The remaining five minutes saw Hallmon and Hollings continue their impressive days as the lead ballooned to as much as 16 with 1:57 off a second-chance lay-in by 'Stixxs.' When the buzzer sounded, Troy claimed its first-ever win over JMU, 87-74.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"It was a fantastic night in Trojan Arena. We had so many fans here with the doubleheader and the energy was fantastic. We started slow, but we got refocused in that second quarter. They started out better than us and were able to go into the locker room with the lead, but this team got refocused. Coach Jennifer Graf drew up some stuff at halftime as this was her scout, and the players locked in with it and did much better with offensive rebounds. It didn't hurt that Hallmon caught fire. We knew we could win this game, and we refused to lose today."
Four Straight
• In the third quarter, Troy outscored James Madison 31-18 as it outshot the Dukes on 57.9 percent from the field, 50 percent from deep and 100 percent from the line – JMU shot 42.9, 40 and 83.3, respectively.
• Hollings recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds – marked her 13th career double-double.
• Leilani Guion tied her career-high in points, scoring 11 on 5-of-7 shooting and one made triple.
• Dyer continued her streak of impressive games, scoring 31 points and grabbing 19 rebounds in the last two games – first back-to-back double-digit performances in her Troy career.
• Troy trailed as it headed into the locker room, 37-35, and came back to win by double-digits – marked the first win for Troy despite trailing at the half.
On the Road Again
Troy heads back on the road on Thursday, Jan. 18, when it heads to San Marcos, Texas, for a battle with Texas State.
