Troy University Athletics
Troy University
9-8,6-1Sun Belt
Louisiana
6-10,2-5Sun Belt
Nia Daniel Leads Troy to Sixth Straight; Sweeps Louisiana
1/20/2024 5:51:00 PM | Basketball (W)
LAFAYETTE, La. – Led by Nia Daniel, the Troy women's basketball program battled from a first-half deficit to sweep Louisiana, 65-57, Saturday afternoon in the Cajundome and capture its sixth straight win.
Saturday's victory marks the fourth straight on the road, sixth straight overall and fourth straight over the Ragin' Cajuns (6-10, 2-5 SBC) for Troy (9-8, 6-1 SBC) as it rises above .500.
Daniel led Troy with a 23-point performance on 10-of-18 from the field and seven rebounds to boost. Tai'Sheka Porchia produced 11 of her 19 in the second half to end the night 7-of-10 shooting, followed by Ja'Mia Hollings with an 11-point, 8-rebound game. The Trojans also dominated the rebound battle 41-24, including 15 offensive boards to ULL's three.
With eight players out of the lineup, Brandi Williams led the way with 16 points on four made triples while playing the entire game at 40 minutes. Alicia Blanton joined her on a 5-of-9 night from the field to end with 11 points, but Louisiana's 25 percent shooting in the fourth lost them the game.
Defensive Fourth
Louisiana tied the ballgame for the 10th and final time, 51-51, with 8:48 left in the fourth as Williams converted the driving lay-in. Hollings would respond with a second-chance layup to spark a 6-0 run, 57-51, that ended at the 3:06 mark off a bucket by Makayia Hallmon.
Out of a media timeout, Porchia ramped it up for Troy with four straight points off one made free throw and an and-one conversion, 61-52 – 5:34 on the clock.
Troy won the next 3:29 not by scoring but by keeping ULL off the scoreboard as the Ragin' Cajuns went 0-of-4 in that span before finally converting a triple to cut the deficit to six, 61-55.
The dagger came after Daniel scored her 23rd point outside the paint when Porchia came up with a steal late in the ULL possession, resulting in Troy's largest lead of the game, 65-55, off a turnaround jumper by Hallmon with 1:03 remaining. Louisiana managed only one more bucket by Nubia Benedith as Troy completed the comeback, 65-57.
Second Half Flame
For the ninth time this season, Troy went into the locker room down at half down, 33-26, as Robinson converted the lay-in off a Troy turnover with 0:05 left in the first half. However, Porchia came out of the gates strong, converting the and-one 0:14 into the third quarter, 33-29.
Daniel and Porchia continued Troy's pursuit as they matched a bucket by Uniyah Franklin with back-to-back buckets to make it a tie ballgame, 35-35, with 8:24 left in the quarter.
Neither side could gain control from there as the score would flip between a ULL lead and tie game nine times over the following 5:25 as Blanton converted the lay-in, 45-43.
The Trojans' persistence prevailed as Daniel launched a triple off the assist from Hallmon and took the lead for the first time, 46-45, at the 7:20 mark of the third. Troy held that lead until the buzzer, 50-49, ballooning it to five, 50-45, off a hook shot from Hollings with 1:14 on the clock.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"We're coming off two tough road wins. I would describe it as a slow start. We knew we needed to run them, but we just weren't able to do it. They kept getting the charge call, and it made us flinch. But we went into halftime, and we knew we were going to have a serious challenge ahead of us. I still feel very blessed. They fought through the challenges and did a great job responding in the second half. Nia is by far our best finesse player, and she showed it tonight. If she didn't stay such a level head, I don't know if the result would have been the same."
Six-Pack
• With her 137th victory over a Sun Belt opponent, Rigby now sits in sole possession with the third most wins in conference history, surpassing Leon Barmore, who coached for Louisiana Tech – sits 56 wins from second (Brian Boyer – 193).
• Zay Dyer was the only player off the bench to score for Troy with two points in five minutes. Starters for Troy scored 96.9 percent of the points.
• With 15 offensive rebounds, the Trojans dominated in second-chance points, outscoring ULL 16-2.
• The Trojans shot a remarkable 50 percent in the second half to finish the game at 45.9. Meanwhile, the Ragin' Cajuns shot 51.3 through three quarters before collapsing to 45.1 with a 25 percent in the fourth.
• With the 10-point advantage with 1:03 remaining, 65-55, Troy extended its streak of having a double-digit lead during a game to nine – spans back to SFA on Dec. 20.
Welcome Home
Troy returns to Trojan Arena on Thursday at 6 p.m. for a contest with Southern Miss.
