Troy University Athletics
Friday, November 22
Anchorage, Alaska
10:30 p.m.
Troy University
at
Alaska-Anchorage
Troy Ventures to Anchorage for 41st Edition of Great Alaska Shootout
11/21/2024 2:23:00 PM | Basketball (W)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Hope remains high for the Troy women's basketball program as it ventures 4,381 miles to the Alaska Airlines Center for the 41st Great Alaska Shootout (Friday, Nov. 22 – Saturday, Nov. 23) against Alaska-Anchorage, North Dakota State and Vermont.
Game one pits the Trojans (1-4) against the host team Alaska-Anchorage (6-1) for a first-ever meeting at 10:30 p.m. on Friday. The results of day one determine whether Troy competes in the championship or for third place on Saturday against the Bisons (2-1) or Catamounts (3-2).
Game Information
Location: Anchorage, Alaska – Alaska Airlines Center
The Matchup(s): Troy (1-4, 0-0 SBC) vs. Alaska-Anchorage (6-1, 0-0 GNAC)/North Dakota State (2-1, 0-0 MVC)/Vermont (3-2, 0-0 AEC)
When: Friday, Nov. 22 – Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024
Watch: YouTube
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Stay in the Fight
It was a tale of two halves for the Trojans against No. 7 LSU on Monday night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The first 20 minutes saw the Tigers outscore the Trojans 58-24 before they limited the second-half deficit to 40-35. Troy also forced LSU into a season-high 21 turnovers.
The hot start for Ashley Baez continued against the ranked foe as she finished with a team-high 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting to extend her streak of double-digit scoring games to five. She also dominated on the defensive side as No. 2 became the lone active Trojan to have 5-plus steals (5) in a game.
Fortuna Ngnawo had a strong showing off the bench as she played 22 minutes and finished with 10 points, a career-high three steals and tied for a team-high six rebounds. Nearly every Trojan ended on the stat sheet against LSU as 10 of the 12 Trojans to check in scored, and all but one had a rebound.
Despite having a season-low 39 rebounds at LSU, the Trojans stay firm atop the national rankings. Through five games, Troy averages 46.6 for 13th nationally and second in the Sun Belt Conference. Individually, Brianna Jackson has been a force on the defensive end, rejecting two blocks a game to sit 40th in the country and third in the league.
Alaska-Anchorage Preview
The Division-II host of the Great Alaska Shootout sits at 6-1 to open its season as Alaska-Anchorage rides a two-game win streak into the opening-round matchup with Troy. The Seawolves have won their tournament eight times, with the last coming in 2022. In 1990, Alaska-Anchorage became the first D-II women's basketball program to win a tournament against D-I competition.
Four Seawolves average double-figures in scoring, with Elaina Mack leading the way with 17.7 points on a 42.9/41.8/75.0 percent shooting split. Emilia Long trails behind her with 12.7 points while leading the team in total assists with 29. Off the bench, Jazzpher Evans stands as the third-highest scorer with 11.7.
Vermont Preview
Like the Seawolves, Vermont enters the tournament on a two-game win streak with victories over Holy Cross, 67-50, and Dartmouth, 61-37. The Catamounts season already has a highlight victory over SEC opponent Missouri, 62-46. Vermont allowed Missouri to shoot 6-of-10 in the opening 10 minutes before limiting the Tigers to 20 shots in the final 30 minutes with just six makes.
Vermont's been elite in its shooting abilities, sitting 68th in the nation and leading the American East Conference in field goal percentage (45.8). The defense for Vermont also limits opponents to 53 points a game to rank 44th in D-I.
North Dakota State Preview
North Dakota State enters the Great Alaska Shootout with three games under its belt, sitting at 2-1 with back-to-back wins against Eastern Illinois, 65-56, and Jamestown, 88-50. Five Bisons finished in double-digits against Jamestown as Abby Krzewinski (15) and Miriley Simon (13) led them off the bench.
Free throws and turnovers are critical for North Dakota State's opening trio of games. The Bisons average 12 turnovers for a plus-7 turnover margin to rank 16th and 46th in the nation and sit atop the Missouri Valley Conference. For free throws made (18.3), North Dakota State ranks 17th in the country and second in the MVC.
Great Alaska Shootout Stats
• Last season's nonconference tournament saw the Trojan season turnaround as they were crowned APSU Christmas Classic Champions, defeating New Mexico State and Stephen F. Austin. The Trojans would win 21 of their next 26 games, starting with the nonconference tournament.
• Of the 12 Trojans to check into the ballgame, 10 ended on the scoreboard against the SEC foe, and all but one had a rebound.
• Adriana Jones came off the bench late and produced a career-high four points, two rebounds and two free throws.
• No. 2 became the lone active Trojan to swipe 5-plus steals in a game as Baez ended with a team-high five steals.
• The Trojans forced LSU into a season-high 21 turnovers. Before today, the Tigers ranked 10th in the nation in fewest turnovers at 14.8.
• Dyer finished with 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting for her third career game with 20-plus points at UT-Chattanooga.
• Baez set a new career-high in free throws made with 10 at UT-Chattanooga to become the first Trojan since Nia Daniel to hit 10-plus at the charity stripe (ULM – Feb. 1, 2024).
• For the fourth straight game, Wagner finished with 5-plus assists. She's collected 5-plus assists 19 times in her Troy career.
• Ngnawo's two double-doubles to open the 2024-25 season remain first in the league and tied for 20th nationally.
• Through the opening five games, Troy remains a premiere SBC team in rebounding, sitting second with 46.6 per game.
• Wagner leads the league through the first five games in total assists (24) and assists per game (4.8) – she ranks 46th and 60th in the nation, respectively.
• For the fifth consecutive game to open her Trojan career, Baez finished in double-figures with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
• For the most blocks by a Trojan since LaGrange (12/14/22) by Janeen Camp, Brianna Jackson rejected six shots on Buffalo.
• Peguero stretched the floor throughout the ballgame as she set a new career-high in her Troy debut with five threes (5-of-7 from deep). Her five triples marked the first time a Trojans made 5-plus triples in a game since Nia Daniel against Southern Miss on Dec. 29, 2022.
• Grace Daniels became the newest member of the Trojans, being hired as the new assistant coach to pair alongside Stephanie Murphy on Oct. 26.
• Troy returners 18.8 percent of its scoring, 43.7 percent of assists, 26.4 percent of rebounds, 26.9 percent of blocks and 26.2 percent of minutes from the 2023-24 roster.
• Of the nine newcomers, three are products of Division-I and six are JUCO.
• Wagner, one of Troy's three returners, comes off a season where she ranked sixth in program D-I history for total assists at 150 and ninth for assists per game at 4.9.
• 2023-24 saw the Trojans break the program record for most field goals made in a single season at 1,060 – they also broke the record for points (2,749) and field goal attempts (2,528).
• Last season, the Trojans ranked in the top two within the conference for assist/turnover ratio (1st– 1.09), rebounds (1st – 47.88), scoring (2nd – 80.9), defensive and offensive rebounds (2nd – 30.8, 17.1), rebound margin (2nd – 7.8) and assists (2nd – 15.4) – also led the nation in rebounding.
• The 2024-25 roster contains zero underclassmen, with seven as seniors and five as juniors.
• Over the summer, Troy went overseas to Costa Rica, where it finished 2-0 with 78-56 and 94-50 victories.
Game one pits the Trojans (1-4) against the host team Alaska-Anchorage (6-1) for a first-ever meeting at 10:30 p.m. on Friday. The results of day one determine whether Troy competes in the championship or for third place on Saturday against the Bisons (2-1) or Catamounts (3-2).
Game Information
Location: Anchorage, Alaska – Alaska Airlines Center
The Matchup(s): Troy (1-4, 0-0 SBC) vs. Alaska-Anchorage (6-1, 0-0 GNAC)/North Dakota State (2-1, 0-0 MVC)/Vermont (3-2, 0-0 AEC)
When: Friday, Nov. 22 – Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024
Watch: YouTube
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Stay in the Fight
It was a tale of two halves for the Trojans against No. 7 LSU on Monday night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The first 20 minutes saw the Tigers outscore the Trojans 58-24 before they limited the second-half deficit to 40-35. Troy also forced LSU into a season-high 21 turnovers.
The hot start for Ashley Baez continued against the ranked foe as she finished with a team-high 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting to extend her streak of double-digit scoring games to five. She also dominated on the defensive side as No. 2 became the lone active Trojan to have 5-plus steals (5) in a game.
Fortuna Ngnawo had a strong showing off the bench as she played 22 minutes and finished with 10 points, a career-high three steals and tied for a team-high six rebounds. Nearly every Trojan ended on the stat sheet against LSU as 10 of the 12 Trojans to check in scored, and all but one had a rebound.
Despite having a season-low 39 rebounds at LSU, the Trojans stay firm atop the national rankings. Through five games, Troy averages 46.6 for 13th nationally and second in the Sun Belt Conference. Individually, Brianna Jackson has been a force on the defensive end, rejecting two blocks a game to sit 40th in the country and third in the league.
Alaska-Anchorage Preview
The Division-II host of the Great Alaska Shootout sits at 6-1 to open its season as Alaska-Anchorage rides a two-game win streak into the opening-round matchup with Troy. The Seawolves have won their tournament eight times, with the last coming in 2022. In 1990, Alaska-Anchorage became the first D-II women's basketball program to win a tournament against D-I competition.
Four Seawolves average double-figures in scoring, with Elaina Mack leading the way with 17.7 points on a 42.9/41.8/75.0 percent shooting split. Emilia Long trails behind her with 12.7 points while leading the team in total assists with 29. Off the bench, Jazzpher Evans stands as the third-highest scorer with 11.7.
Vermont Preview
Like the Seawolves, Vermont enters the tournament on a two-game win streak with victories over Holy Cross, 67-50, and Dartmouth, 61-37. The Catamounts season already has a highlight victory over SEC opponent Missouri, 62-46. Vermont allowed Missouri to shoot 6-of-10 in the opening 10 minutes before limiting the Tigers to 20 shots in the final 30 minutes with just six makes.
Vermont's been elite in its shooting abilities, sitting 68th in the nation and leading the American East Conference in field goal percentage (45.8). The defense for Vermont also limits opponents to 53 points a game to rank 44th in D-I.
North Dakota State Preview
North Dakota State enters the Great Alaska Shootout with three games under its belt, sitting at 2-1 with back-to-back wins against Eastern Illinois, 65-56, and Jamestown, 88-50. Five Bisons finished in double-digits against Jamestown as Abby Krzewinski (15) and Miriley Simon (13) led them off the bench.
Free throws and turnovers are critical for North Dakota State's opening trio of games. The Bisons average 12 turnovers for a plus-7 turnover margin to rank 16th and 46th in the nation and sit atop the Missouri Valley Conference. For free throws made (18.3), North Dakota State ranks 17th in the country and second in the MVC.
Great Alaska Shootout Stats
• Last season's nonconference tournament saw the Trojan season turnaround as they were crowned APSU Christmas Classic Champions, defeating New Mexico State and Stephen F. Austin. The Trojans would win 21 of their next 26 games, starting with the nonconference tournament.
• Of the 12 Trojans to check into the ballgame, 10 ended on the scoreboard against the SEC foe, and all but one had a rebound.
• Adriana Jones came off the bench late and produced a career-high four points, two rebounds and two free throws.
• No. 2 became the lone active Trojan to swipe 5-plus steals in a game as Baez ended with a team-high five steals.
• The Trojans forced LSU into a season-high 21 turnovers. Before today, the Tigers ranked 10th in the nation in fewest turnovers at 14.8.
• Dyer finished with 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting for her third career game with 20-plus points at UT-Chattanooga.
• Baez set a new career-high in free throws made with 10 at UT-Chattanooga to become the first Trojan since Nia Daniel to hit 10-plus at the charity stripe (ULM – Feb. 1, 2024).
• For the fourth straight game, Wagner finished with 5-plus assists. She's collected 5-plus assists 19 times in her Troy career.
• Ngnawo's two double-doubles to open the 2024-25 season remain first in the league and tied for 20th nationally.
• Through the opening five games, Troy remains a premiere SBC team in rebounding, sitting second with 46.6 per game.
• Wagner leads the league through the first five games in total assists (24) and assists per game (4.8) – she ranks 46th and 60th in the nation, respectively.
• For the fifth consecutive game to open her Trojan career, Baez finished in double-figures with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
• For the most blocks by a Trojan since LaGrange (12/14/22) by Janeen Camp, Brianna Jackson rejected six shots on Buffalo.
• Peguero stretched the floor throughout the ballgame as she set a new career-high in her Troy debut with five threes (5-of-7 from deep). Her five triples marked the first time a Trojans made 5-plus triples in a game since Nia Daniel against Southern Miss on Dec. 29, 2022.
• Grace Daniels became the newest member of the Trojans, being hired as the new assistant coach to pair alongside Stephanie Murphy on Oct. 26.
• Troy returners 18.8 percent of its scoring, 43.7 percent of assists, 26.4 percent of rebounds, 26.9 percent of blocks and 26.2 percent of minutes from the 2023-24 roster.
• Of the nine newcomers, three are products of Division-I and six are JUCO.
• Wagner, one of Troy's three returners, comes off a season where she ranked sixth in program D-I history for total assists at 150 and ninth for assists per game at 4.9.
• 2023-24 saw the Trojans break the program record for most field goals made in a single season at 1,060 – they also broke the record for points (2,749) and field goal attempts (2,528).
• Last season, the Trojans ranked in the top two within the conference for assist/turnover ratio (1st– 1.09), rebounds (1st – 47.88), scoring (2nd – 80.9), defensive and offensive rebounds (2nd – 30.8, 17.1), rebound margin (2nd – 7.8) and assists (2nd – 15.4) – also led the nation in rebounding.
• The 2024-25 roster contains zero underclassmen, with seven as seniors and five as juniors.
• Over the summer, Troy went overseas to Costa Rica, where it finished 2-0 with 78-56 and 94-50 victories.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Basketball (W)
G
/ Basketball (W)
F
/ Basketball (W)
G
/ Basketball (W)
F
/ Basketball (W)Chanda Rigby Postgame Press Conference - Longwood
Wednesday, December 03
Player Postgame Press Conference (Fortuna Ngnawo, Emani Jenkins) - Longwood
Wednesday, December 03
Troy at Longwood (Full Highlights)
Wednesday, December 03
Player Postgame Press Conference (Zay Dyer, Ashley Baez) - Florida Gulf Coast
Sunday, November 30