Troy University Athletics
Troy University
5-8,2-1Sun Belt
Coastal Carolina
7-9,1-2Sun Belt
Women’s Basketball Clutch Again at Coastal Carolina
1/6/2024 3:46:00 PM | Basketball (W)
CONWAY, S.C. – Poise and clutch free throws from Troy women's basketball propelled it over Coastal Carolina 86-80 on Saturday afternoon in the HTC Center for back-to-back road wins.
The Trojans (5-8, 2-1 SBC) have turned around their performance on the road with back-to-back away wins after starting road trips at 0-4 while also avenging last season's loss to the Chanticleers (7-9, 1-2 SBC) and dropping them for the eighth time in the previous nine matchups.
Post players Ja'Mia Hollings and Tai'Sheka Porchia matched each other with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Makayia Hallmon (22) led the way with Troy's fifth straight 20-plus point performance. Nia Daniel also totaled 17 as Troy's starters scored 91.8 percent of the points.
Makaila Cange put on a 17-point, 9-rebound performance to front the Chanticleers. Arin Freeman and Deaja Richardson also managed 16 points apiece but shot a combined 10-of-27 from the field.
Deny the Comeback… Again
At the 5:05 mark of the fourth, Daniel gave Troy its largest lead of the ballgame, 72-60, when she dropped a jumper right out of the timeout. Just when it looked to be over, the Chanticleers stormed back on a 9-0 run that ended with a lay-in from Richardson with 3:05 remaining.
Troy brought the lead back to seven, 78-71, as Porchia took over with a four-point run, including a second-chance lay-in with 1:41 left. Still, the Chanticleers managed to cut it back to three, 78-75, off a pair of free throws from Cange and a fastbreak layup from Dalanna Carter – 1:08 remained on the clock.
Daniel silenced the crowd 0:10 later as she drove inside and converted the lay-in to return the game to two possessions, 80-75. After a 1-of-2 free throw trip by Richardson, 80-76, Coastal was forced to play the free throw game.
Hollings stepped up big in the final 0:38 as she went 5-of-8 from the charity stripe, combined with 1-of-2 from Hallmon. Troy's defense did the rest, forcing two turnovers and limiting the Chanticleers to only one field goal attempt to secure an 86-80 victory.
Hot Finish… Hot Start
The Chanticleers cut a 9-point Troy advantage to just two, 33-31 when Freeman drilled a triple off a turnover. However, Porchia returned the momentum to Troy when she seized the offensive rebound and converted an and-one lay-in, 35-31, with 1:45 left in the half.
Shaulana Wagner kept the run going at the 8:32 mark when she swiped the ball away from Coastal and took it coast-to-coast to push the lead to seven, 38-31. The Chanticleers hit one free throw before the end of the half as Troy led 38-32 heading into the locker room.
Coastal started the second half controlling the first two minutes as it cut the Trojan lead to three on a made triple from Richardson. Zay Dyer helped Troy retake control when she grabbed her miss and converted the second-chance layup, 44-39, at the 2:22 mark.
Dyer sparked a 7-0 run that lasted until 6:46 was left in the third when Wagner dished out the assist to Hallmon, who drew the foul and made the layup to bring Troy's lead to double-digits, 49-39.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"I'm so overjoyed and thrilled about this team going on the road and getting two huge wins. We just snatch them away from two very good teams. This team keeps believing and wants to represent Troy in a winning fashion. They took giant steps today, and their focus is on another level. All 10 players who dressed today did their jobs. This was one of the toughest teams to limit turnovers against, and our guards did a great job with that. We're getting a lot of experience in close game situations. I prefer not being in those situations, but that's just how it goes. We played three different defenses today and it speaks volumes about their coach because he adjusted well. It was like a chess match."
Back-to-Back Road Wins
• Hollings earned her double-double with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter when she scored her 10th point on a jumper. Two seconds earlier, she earned her 10th rebound off a Coastal miss.
• For the third game of 2023-24, Porchia and Hollings notched a double-double in the same game – both players ended with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
• The Trojans' shooting ability peaked in the third quarter when they shot 50 percent on 11-of-22 from the field.
• Each quarter remained close, with the first quarter seeing the largest separation of 22-18 in favor of the Trojans – second (16-14), third (25-24) and fourth (24-23).
• Troy's defense was a menace, forcing 17 turnovers as opposed to its nine, resulting in a 19-9 point differential in points off turnovers.
• Wagner tied her career-high of eight assists after reaching it for the first time against Georgia Southern two days prior.
Doubleheader in Trojan Arena
Troy's next contest has it welcoming the Cajuns of Louisiana to Trojan Arena for the first of two Troy basketball games on Wednesday at 5:15 p.m.
