Troy University Athletics
Wednesday, December 4
Troy, Ala.
12 p.m.
Troy University
vs
Oakwood
Home Opener for Troy Women’s Basketball Sees First-Ever Matchup with Oakwood
12/3/2024 5:25:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – Thirty days after the 2024-25 season kicked off in Buffalo, N.Y., the Troy women's basketball program hosts its home opener in Trojan Arena at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 4, with a first-ever meeting with Oakwood.
The meeting between the Trojans (3-5) and Ambassadors (1-5, 0-2) marks the first matchup in the programs' history. Wednesday also marks the fourth first-time meeting (No. 7 LSU, Alaska-Anchorage, North Dakota State) for the Trojans in 2024-25 as they look to balloon their record in that situation to 3-1. Under head coach Chanda Rigby, the Trojans are 10-2 in their home openers.
Game Information
Location: Troy, Ala. – Trojan Arena
The Matchup: Troy (3-5, 0-0 SBC) vs. Oakwood (1-5, 0-2 HBCUAC)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 4 – 12 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Perfect Time to Rebound
The Trojans couldn't maintain the momentum of the Great Alaska Shootout into their Sunday showdown with Mississippi Valley State, falling 66-65 in Itta Bena. However, the Trojans are 2-2 when following a loss with wins at UT-Chattanooga and Alaska-Anchorage. They are also winners in 10 of their last 12 home openers. The losses came in the MAC-SBC Challenge against Ball State last season and in Rigby's first season with the Trojans.
On Sunday, the Trojans struggled to control possessions with a season-high 27 turnovers that led to 30 points for the Devilettes. Combine the turnovers and a 31.1 shooting percentage, and Troy lost, 66-65. Despite the loss, Troy crushed MVS on the boards, grabbing a season-high 31 offensive rebounds and 60 total. Zay Dyer also shined with her second straight double-double on a team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds – she shot 7-of-13 from the field.
Troy's magic number on its eight-game road trip was 70. Of the eight games, the Trojans were 3-1 when shooting above 70 percent at the charity stripe while also sitting 3-2 when scoring 70-plus and 2-1 holding the opposition to under 70. The Trojans are also 3-1 when either Dyer or Shaulana Wagner leads the team in scoring.
In the league rankings, Fortuna Ngnawo and Dyer are in a serious battle for the top spot in rebounding. No. 12's averaged 8.8 through the first eight games to lead the conference and rank 79th in the nation, while No. 5 sits two spots (third) behind with 8.6 per game for 87th in the country. The pair helped Troy hold the top spot overall in rebounding for the SBC with 48.8 per game – they also sit fifth in the NCAA.
Play Through 35
The Ambassadors look to end a five-game losing streak that spans to their lone win on Nov. 2 against Washington Adventist (MD). Over the five games, Oakwood's lost by a combined margin of negative-123 points (402-279). Oakwood has also struggled to shoot beyond the arc, posting only one game above 30 percent against Alabama A&M.
No. 35 Saniya Keys is the premier player on the Oakwood roster. Through six games, she's averaged 21.5 points and 12.2 rebounds on 54.4 percent shooting from the field. The freshman erupted for 30 points, 18 rebounds, two steals and a block to lead Oakwood to its lone victory of 2024-25. Her 3-point sidekick is Trenisha Adams, who's made 14 triples, 11 more than the second-most on Oakwood via Kamaria Murray (3).
Home Opener Numbers
• Under head coach Chanda Rigby, the Trojans are 10-2 in their home openers.
• Wagner leads the league in assists per game (5.3) and total assists (42) while ranking 29th and 41st in the nation, respectively.
• Ngnawo and Dyer compete for the top spot in the SBC for rebounding as they sit atop the rankings at first (79th nationally) and third (87th nationally) with 8.8 and 8.6, respectively. They are tied for the top spot in double-doubles for the league and 26th in the nation with three apiece.
• Through the opening seven games, Troy remains a premiere SBC team in rebounding, leading the pack with 48.75 per game – Troy ranks fifth nationally.
• Ashley Baez has finished in double-figures in seven of Troy's eight games to debut for the program, averaging 11.5 points on 39.7 percent in the field and 35.5 from deep.
• In six of the last seven games, Wagner's finished with 5-plus assists. She's collected 5-plus assists 21 times in her Troy career.
• No. 13 has led Troy in scoring and/or assists in all eight games in 2024-25.
• Wagner finished with a season-high eight assists while posting 11 rebounds and nine points to near a triple-double at Mississippi Valley State.
• Dyer secured her third double-double of 2024-25 and the 11th of her career on a team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds.
• The Trojans dominated the boards with a season-high of 60. They won the rebound battle, 60-31, with 17 second-chance points.
• For the first time since ULM on Feb. 1, 2024, the Trojans finished with 30-plus offensive rebounds (31).
• Wagner earned the Most Outstanding Player of the Great Alaska Tournament by scoring 12.5 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
• The Trojans became the first Sun Belt Conference team to win the Great Alaska Shootout and 41st ever.
• Dyer got the Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament team nod with 13.5 points, 10 rebounds, one block and two assists.
• Imevbore secured season-highs in the first half alone against North Dakota State with eight points, two blocks, six rebounds and an assist in 13 minutes. She finished with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double.
• All but one Trojan ended the night in the scoring column for the second time in the Great Alaska Shootout championship game (No. 24/25 Alabama).
• Troy returned to defeat Alaska-Anchorage, who was 116-14 before tonight in the last 130 games played at the Alaska Airlines Center.
• A 20-point comeback marked the first time the Trojans overcame a 20-plus point deficit since Jackson State on Dec. 20, 2021. That day, the Trojans trailed by 24 and won 99-82.
• No. 2 became the lone active Trojan to swipe 5-plus steals in a game against No. 7 LSU as Baez ended with a team-high five steals.
• 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 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.
The meeting between the Trojans (3-5) and Ambassadors (1-5, 0-2) marks the first matchup in the programs' history. Wednesday also marks the fourth first-time meeting (No. 7 LSU, Alaska-Anchorage, North Dakota State) for the Trojans in 2024-25 as they look to balloon their record in that situation to 3-1. Under head coach Chanda Rigby, the Trojans are 10-2 in their home openers.
Game Information
Location: Troy, Ala. – Trojan Arena
The Matchup: Troy (3-5, 0-0 SBC) vs. Oakwood (1-5, 0-2 HBCUAC)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 4 – 12 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Perfect Time to Rebound
The Trojans couldn't maintain the momentum of the Great Alaska Shootout into their Sunday showdown with Mississippi Valley State, falling 66-65 in Itta Bena. However, the Trojans are 2-2 when following a loss with wins at UT-Chattanooga and Alaska-Anchorage. They are also winners in 10 of their last 12 home openers. The losses came in the MAC-SBC Challenge against Ball State last season and in Rigby's first season with the Trojans.
On Sunday, the Trojans struggled to control possessions with a season-high 27 turnovers that led to 30 points for the Devilettes. Combine the turnovers and a 31.1 shooting percentage, and Troy lost, 66-65. Despite the loss, Troy crushed MVS on the boards, grabbing a season-high 31 offensive rebounds and 60 total. Zay Dyer also shined with her second straight double-double on a team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds – she shot 7-of-13 from the field.
Troy's magic number on its eight-game road trip was 70. Of the eight games, the Trojans were 3-1 when shooting above 70 percent at the charity stripe while also sitting 3-2 when scoring 70-plus and 2-1 holding the opposition to under 70. The Trojans are also 3-1 when either Dyer or Shaulana Wagner leads the team in scoring.
In the league rankings, Fortuna Ngnawo and Dyer are in a serious battle for the top spot in rebounding. No. 12's averaged 8.8 through the first eight games to lead the conference and rank 79th in the nation, while No. 5 sits two spots (third) behind with 8.6 per game for 87th in the country. The pair helped Troy hold the top spot overall in rebounding for the SBC with 48.8 per game – they also sit fifth in the NCAA.
Play Through 35
The Ambassadors look to end a five-game losing streak that spans to their lone win on Nov. 2 against Washington Adventist (MD). Over the five games, Oakwood's lost by a combined margin of negative-123 points (402-279). Oakwood has also struggled to shoot beyond the arc, posting only one game above 30 percent against Alabama A&M.
No. 35 Saniya Keys is the premier player on the Oakwood roster. Through six games, she's averaged 21.5 points and 12.2 rebounds on 54.4 percent shooting from the field. The freshman erupted for 30 points, 18 rebounds, two steals and a block to lead Oakwood to its lone victory of 2024-25. Her 3-point sidekick is Trenisha Adams, who's made 14 triples, 11 more than the second-most on Oakwood via Kamaria Murray (3).
Home Opener Numbers
• Under head coach Chanda Rigby, the Trojans are 10-2 in their home openers.
• Wagner leads the league in assists per game (5.3) and total assists (42) while ranking 29th and 41st in the nation, respectively.
• Ngnawo and Dyer compete for the top spot in the SBC for rebounding as they sit atop the rankings at first (79th nationally) and third (87th nationally) with 8.8 and 8.6, respectively. They are tied for the top spot in double-doubles for the league and 26th in the nation with three apiece.
• Through the opening seven games, Troy remains a premiere SBC team in rebounding, leading the pack with 48.75 per game – Troy ranks fifth nationally.
• Ashley Baez has finished in double-figures in seven of Troy's eight games to debut for the program, averaging 11.5 points on 39.7 percent in the field and 35.5 from deep.
• In six of the last seven games, Wagner's finished with 5-plus assists. She's collected 5-plus assists 21 times in her Troy career.
• No. 13 has led Troy in scoring and/or assists in all eight games in 2024-25.
• Wagner finished with a season-high eight assists while posting 11 rebounds and nine points to near a triple-double at Mississippi Valley State.
• Dyer secured her third double-double of 2024-25 and the 11th of her career on a team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds.
• The Trojans dominated the boards with a season-high of 60. They won the rebound battle, 60-31, with 17 second-chance points.
• For the first time since ULM on Feb. 1, 2024, the Trojans finished with 30-plus offensive rebounds (31).
• Wagner earned the Most Outstanding Player of the Great Alaska Tournament by scoring 12.5 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
• The Trojans became the first Sun Belt Conference team to win the Great Alaska Shootout and 41st ever.
• Dyer got the Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament team nod with 13.5 points, 10 rebounds, one block and two assists.
• Imevbore secured season-highs in the first half alone against North Dakota State with eight points, two blocks, six rebounds and an assist in 13 minutes. She finished with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double.
• All but one Trojan ended the night in the scoring column for the second time in the Great Alaska Shootout championship game (No. 24/25 Alabama).
• Troy returned to defeat Alaska-Anchorage, who was 116-14 before tonight in the last 130 games played at the Alaska Airlines Center.
• A 20-point comeback marked the first time the Trojans overcame a 20-plus point deficit since Jackson State on Dec. 20, 2021. That day, the Trojans trailed by 24 and won 99-82.
• No. 2 became the lone active Trojan to swipe 5-plus steals in a game against No. 7 LSU as Baez ended with a team-high five steals.
• 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 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
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