Troy University Athletics
Troy University
14-10,10-3Sun Belt
Texas State
13-13,3-10Sun Belt
Dominant Third Quarter Leads Troy to Sweep Over Texas State
2/15/2024 9:34:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – Quarter No. 3 saw Troy women's basketball outscore Texas State 30-12 on 62.5 percent to sweep in Trojan Arena and win its second straight, 85-69, on Thursday night.
A second straight 20-plus point performance from Ja'Mia Hollings (26) with 10 rebounds for her 17th career double-double propelled the Trojans (14-10, 10-3 SBC) to take sole possession of second in the league after a James Madison loss. Meanwhile, the Bobcats (13-13, 3-10 SBC) drop to .500 and remain tied for 11th.
On top of a double-double performance, Hollings also tied to lead the team in steals with Leilani Augmon at four. Tai'Sheka Porchia and Makayia Hallmon also managed 12 apiece to end in double-figures. At the same time, the bench unit behind Sharonica Hartsfield (5), Zay Dyer (6), Augmon (7), Leilani Guion (2), Gabbi Cartagena (9) and Sara Carvajal Caro (2) scored 31 points for Troy.
Gara Beth Self was the lone double-digit scorer in the starting five for Texas State with 11 points on 5-of-12 from the field. However, Julia Coleman and Tiffany Tullis led the team from the bench with 15 points apiece on a combined 12-of-17 shooting. Texas State faltered in the third when it shot 21.4 percent and 4-of-19 through the game.
Explode Out of the Locker Room
With a two-point lead, 37-35, entering the second half, Hollings continued her showing with a defensive rebound and bucket, 39-35, 0:26 in. She continued her dominance with a layup off the Jaylin Foster turnover, 41-35. The final punch of a 6-0 run to open the second half was a pair of free throws by Hallmon off a second straight turnover by Texas State.
The Bobcats pushed the margin down to six with an and-one by Coleman, 45-39, before Hallmon took over with a bucket, swiped a steal and pulled up for another to take the first double-digit lead, 49-39, with 6:24 remaining.
At the 4:04 mark of the third, Gara Beth converted the and-one to trim their deficit to seven, 49-42, but the Trojans responded with a 9-0 run that opened when Augmon grabbed the steal and dished it to Hartsfield for the fastbreak bucket. Hartsfield continued the run 0:10 later when she stole the inbound and found Hollings, 53-42 – run ended with 1:56 left in the third off a Guion jumper, 58-42.
Ja'Niah Henson paused the Trojan run with a pair of makes from the line, 61-47, with 0:42 remaining. But 4-for-4 shooting at the line by Augmon and Hollings, combined with a lay-in by No. 11, brought the lead to 20, 67-47, as the quarter expired. The fourth quarter saw Troy shoot 46.7 percent to maintain the lead and finish with back-to-back victories, 85-69.
Closing Out the Half
Texas State extended its lead to five, 23-18, 0:49 into the second quarter, when Crystal Smith converted off a Kennedy Claybrooks assist. Hallmon responded, 23-20, taking the pass from Shaulana Wagner to open an 8-0 run at the 1:24 mark.
The run continued when Porchia flew in to seize the offensive rebound and found Nia Daniel cutting inside and converting the jumper, 23-22, with 6:55 remaining. Then, 0:24 later, Porchia continued her onslaught by swiping the ball from Morgan Hill and taking it all the way to take the lead, 24-23.
Troy pushed its lead to four off a Porchia bucket, 28-24, but Tullis responded with a second-chance layup to keep the margin at two, 28-26, with 4:41 left. At the 5:58 mark, Augmon netted both free throws before Hollings finished the second-chance bucket in the paint and converted off a Bobcat turnover, 34-26.
Both sides exchanged triples, including the first of two from Cartagena, 37-29, to maintain the eight-point lead with 1:05 left. The final minute saw the Bobcats cut the deficit to 37-35. However, Troy propelled its record to 4-8, 4-1 SBC, when trailing at the half with the win.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"I'm very grateful to get this win in front of a great crowd tonight. We're thankful for those that came out and supported us. It was very close until halftime, with us only being up by two, but when the second half started, our team got focused on the game plan and did much better with our half-court defense. Stixxs got us started in the second half with her shooting, and after that, whoever we put in off the bench excelled. Now, we set our sights on ULM on Saturday. We need Trojan Arena packed. They brought out all the stumps to get people against us, and now it's our turn."
Texas State Sweep
• Troy's third quarter saw it outscore the Bobcats 30-12 on 62.5 percent from the field and 90 percent from the charity stripe. The Trojans also limited Texas State to 21.4 percent shooting and 14.3 from deep. Hollings led with 13 points, five rebounds and two steals.
• Cartagena netted a season-high two triples in the win to finish two points shy (11) of the most points she scored in 2023-24.
• The Trojans won their battle in points from turnovers 30-13 with 16 steals.
• Dyer's 13 rebounds marked her fourth 10-plus rebound performance – two shy of her career-high of 15.
• Hollings' joined Daniel with consecutive 20-plus point performances. Her 26 points followed a 28-point career-high at Bowling Green last Saturday.
• Thursday's victory marks the eighth straight for Troy over Texas State.
Staying Here
The doubleheader action continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Trojan Arena when ULM comes to town.
