Troy Drops Sun Belt Opener to James Madison

Sunday, December 29

Harrisonburg, Va.

1 p.m.

Troy University

6-7,0-1Sun Belt

James Madison

9-4,1-0Sun Belt

Troy

James Madison

Troy Drops Sun Belt Opener to James Madison

12/29/2024 4:54:00 PM | Basketball (W)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Despite starting on a 12-0 run to open the ballgame and a monstrous 21-rebound, 14-point performance from Brianna Jackson, Troy women's basketball falls to James Madison, 63-52, in the league opener on Sunday afternoon in the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

The home team stays undefeated in the overall series as the Trojans (6-7, 0-1 SBC) fall to 0-1 in Sun Belt play, while the Dukes (9-4, 1-0 SBC) rise to 1-0. Troy started the game perfectly, opening on a 12-0 run to finish the first quarter with a 16-7 advantage and holding JMU to 11.8 percent shooting.

Jackson's 21 rebounds tied Sky'Lynn Holmes for the fourth-most rebounds in a single game for Troy at the Division-I level. It also marked the first 20-plus rebound performance since Ja'Mia Hollings had 20 against South Alabama on Jan. 26, 2023. She also scored a team-high 14 points on 5-of-9 from the field and rejected two shots. Ashley Baez finished with her 12^th double-digit performance on 10 points, and Shaulana Wagner ended with 10 rebounds for her third double-digit rebound performance.

The SBC Preseason Player of the Year, Peyton McDaniels, ended the night with a team-high 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting and seized the second-most rebounds for JMU at eight. Kseniia Kozlova ended one rebound shy of a double-double on a 10-point, 9-rebound performance. Roshala Scott had 14 shot attempts off the bench to end the night with 11 and a team-high three steals. Despite the loss, the Trojans held the Dukes to well below their season average in shooting (39.6) at 32.4 percent.

JMU Rally
The Trojans entered the second quarter with a 16-7 advantage and expanded it to 21-10 at the 1:49 mark after a trio of free throws from Jackson and a jumper by Leilani Guion. However, the remainder of the second saw the Dukes outscore Troy 20-7 to tie the ballgame at 30 heading into the break.

JMU kept the momentum on its side to open the second half when they slowly stretched the margin to seven, 42-35, when Bree Robinson drove inside for the lay-in. Second-chance opportunities brought Troy back within a possession with 2:56 remaining when Wagner grabbed the offensive board and got it to Zay Dyer. Dyer found Jackson in the paint, and she scored her 14^th and final points of the afternoon. The next possession started and ended with No. 13 as Wagner grabbed the JMU miss and finished on the other end off a Baez assist, 42-39.

Over the next 10:39, the Dukes controlled the game, outscoring Troy 21-5 to hold a 19-point advantage with 2:17 remaining on a triple from Robinson, 63-44.

Emanki Jenkins and Khila Morris wouldn't go out without a fight as they paired together for an 8-0 run in a 1:35 span. Morris opened the run with her first points of the night, finishing the putback lay-in, 63-46. Jenkins followed Morris with back-to-back triples, 63-52, including one of a Jackson steal – 0:42 remaining. Neither side scored in the remaining seconds as JMU claimed the Sun Belt Conference opener victory.

Perfect Start
Troy's entrance to Sun Belt Conference play couldn't have started better as Jackson drilled her third triple in the last two games, 3-0, for the first points of league play at the 1:37 mark. The 3-point parade wasn't finished as Baez followed her with a triple on the fastbreak, 6-0, 0:35 later.

A pair of misses for JMU and a swapping of turnovers resulted in Wagner ending up with the rock. The Detroit native drove inside and finished through the contact for the and-one, 9-0, with 6:32 remaining.

The perfect start continued, as did the 3-point onslaught, when JMU continued its 0-of-7 start, allowing Wagner to end with the ball again. Instead of taking it herself, the guard dished it to fellow backcourt member Guion in the corner. No. 35 punched in the triple at the 4:17 mark as the Trojans started the game on a 12-0 run.

JMU finally got on the scoreboard via Jamia Hazell, 12-2, with 5:16 remaining on a layup. The opposition cut the margin to eight, 12-4, on the next possession via the free throw line as Kozlova converted both. Troy reextended the advantage to 12, 16-4, with back-to-back buckets from Jackson and Briana Peguero with 2:18 left.

Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"What a night it was at JMU. We got out to such a hot start. The opening game plan was amazing from associate head coach Jennifer Graf, allowing us to open a huge lead. But as the game went on, it flipped towards them. The biggest problem was the interior, despite 'Mo' having a 21-rebound, 14-point double-double. But JMU is in the top-50 in the NET rankings, and they have a lot of good post players. We're lacking in the post right now with Fortuna out, but we go home to play Coastal on Thursday. We just hope the fans show out, and we can get that win."

Friendly Confines
The Trojans return to the friendly confines of Trojan Arena for the Sun Belt home opener against Coastal Carolina on Thursday at 6 p.m.

SBC Numbers
• Baez finishing with 10-plus points is inevitable as she recorded her 12^th game in double-figures.
• "Mo" secured a new career-high in the rebound column as she led the Trojans with 21 – her previous career-high was 12, which happened in Jackson's last game against Arkansas.
• Jackson's 14-point, 21-rebound stat line secured her second straight double-double.
• The first quarter was perfect for Troy as it held the opposition to 11.8 percent shooting and hit three triples en route to shooting 40 percent from the field.
• Defensively, the Trojans were elite, holding the Dukes to the second-lowest percentage of any opposition this season from the field (.324) and deep (.154).
• A 21-rebound performance from Jackson tied Sky'Lynn Holmes for the fourth-most rebounds in a single game at the Division-I level. It also marked the first 20-plus rebound performance since Ja'Mia Hollings had 20 against South Alabama on Jan. 26, 2023.