Troy University Athletics
Troy University
12-8,9-1Sun Belt
ULM
15-6,7-3Sun Belt
Offensive Rebounds, Second-Chance Points Propel Women’s Basketball to Ninth Straight
2/1/2024 10:50:00 PM | Basketball (W)
MONROE, La. – In front of a hostile Fant-Ewing Coliseum environment, the Troy women's basketball team torched the rebound game Thursday night, 66-35, to secure 33 second-chance points and a ninth straight victory, 94-83, over ULM.
A ninth straight Sun Belt Conference victory pushes Troy's (12-8, 9-1 SBC) overall win streak to the fourth longest in program history and ties for the fourth-longest road win streak at five. The Trojans also secured their 11th straight win over the Warhawks – nine ending in double-digit victories.
For the first time since ULM on Jan. 25, 2018, three Trojans ended with 20-plus points. Nia Daniel was one point shy from tying a career-high with 27 points, including 12 free throws. Tai'Sheka Porchia and Makayia Hallmon had 21 points apiece as Porchia grabbed a career-high 11 offensive rebounds to end with a 21-16 double-double. Ja'Mia Hollings also grabbed her seventh double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Twenty-four points by Daisha Bradford led ULM with a team-high seven rebounds to boost. Jakayla Johnson also finished with 20 points off eight free throws and swiped four steals. Sania Wells was a menace on both sides, swiping away seven steals while posting 17 points, two assists, five rebounds and one block.
Fourth Quarter Finish
Like the start to the third, the Trojans struck early and quick as Hallmon launched a three from a Shaulana Wagner assist to push the lead to 10, 66-56, 0:17 into the fourth. However, the Warhawks wouldn't go away as they responded with buckets from Katlyn Manuel and Wells to trim it to six with 9:04 left, 66-60.
Neither side could push the margin away from 6-9 points until 3:52 remained, which was when Hallmon drew the foul, draining one at the line and following it with a fastbreak lay-in off a lost ball from Bradford, 80-70.
Johnson tried bringing it back for ULM off a triple, but Daniel would score five straight points to put the advantage at 12. First, No. 12 took the assist from Hollings inside for the layup, followed it by drawing a 3-point foul, and drained all three at the charity stripe, 85-73 – 2:24 on the clock.
The Warhawks made one last dash at the Trojans, cutting the deficit to six with 0:44 left after back-to-back triples from Bradford and Lauren Gross. But, again, Daniel made the dagger three times at the charity stripe on four attempts, 92-83, while the Warhawks went 0-for-2 from deep. Hollings put the finishing touches on a 94-83 victory to secure the 11th straight win over ULM.
Second Half Swing
Daniel gave Troy a hot start 0:10 into the second half when she grabbed her miss and followed up with the and-one conversion inside to stretch the lead to seven, 40-33.
Off Daniel's free throw, the Warhawks responded quickly with a fastbreak lay-in 0:07 later from Wells. But Hallmon and Hollings responded with back-to-back buckets to push the lead to double-figures, 45-35, at the 1:38 mark.
Wells pressed pause on the Troy run again when she connected from deep to cut the lead back to seven, 45-38. However, Hollings moved on the other end to open a 7-0 run for the Trojans on a layup with 7:51 left.
Bradford tried to make Troy pay, but Leilani Augmon rejected the layup and Wagner dished it to Hallmon for the triple, 50-38. Then, at the 4:15 mark of the third, Porchia seized second-chance points, grabbing the offensive rebound and finishing in the lane, 52-38, for Troy's biggest lead.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"We're walking out of a dog fight here in Monroe. It was tough in here. They did a great job filling the place up, and their players made huge plays. It was a great night for women's basketball and felt like a championship. A big reason for the win was rebounding. They matched up in many statistics, but rebounding was where we excelled. This environment was a valuable experience. They pushed the distractions away and pulled out the win. Tai played huge for us tonight. She's something to watch. The ability to consistently get those boards was the difference-maker, as well as her talent to finish the job. It's something special."
Nine Straight
• In the decisive 14-5 run to open the third quarter, Troy shot 6-of-8 from the field and converted a triple to take the game's largest lead, 52-38.
• With Daniel, Hallmon and Porchia scoring 20-plus points, it marked the first time since ULM on Jan. 25, 2018, that the Trojans had three 20-plus point performances.
• With 66 rebounds tonight, Troy was three shy (69) of tying the most rebounds in a single game, set by themselves against Arkansas State on Feb. 22, 2020.
• Troy's second-chance points made the difference, outscoring ULM 33-11 with 30 offensive rebounds.
• With double-doubles from Porchia and Hollings, the Trojans have accumulated 15 as a unit.
• After limiting ULM to 37 percent from the field on 73 shot attempts, the Trojans improved to 7-0, 6-0 SBC when limiting the opposition to under 40 percent.
Round Two
The Trojans get their second matchup against the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Reed Green Coliseum.
