Troy University Athletics
Wednesday, February 28
Troy, Ala.
6 p.m.
Troy University
vs
Appalachian State
Women's Basketball Opens Final Week of Regular Season Against App State
2/27/2024 1:48:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – With one week remaining and the chances of a regular season title still open, the Troy women's basketball team welcomes App State to Trojan Arena on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
The Trojans (17-10, 13-3 SBC) sit two games behind Marshall for the No. 1 spot, needing the Thundering Herd to lose out while they go 2-0 for a chance at the regular-season championship. A win also guarantees the Trojans get no lower than the No. 2-seed for the tournament. On the Mountaineers' (15-13, 8-8 SBC) side, they sit ninth after clinching a first-round bye with a chance to move up to fifth.
Game Information
Location: Troy, Ala. – Trojan Arena
The Matchup: Troy (17-10, 13-3 SBC) vs App State (15-13, 8-8 SBC)
When: Wednesday, February 28 – 6 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
So, You're Saying There's a Chance
Troy earned the title of 'Road Warriors' after sweeping the week against Arkansas State, 77-65, and South Alabama, 88-79, to finish the road schedule at 8-6 after starting the season 0-4. Tai'Sheka Porchia headlined both games when she tallied back-to-back double-doubles to average 15.5 points and 11.5 rebounds. She also shot 61.1 percent from the field and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds.
Nearly one month after their first matchup went to overtime in Trojan Arena, the Trojans dominated the Red Wolves, 77-65. Troy ballooned its lead to 28, 75-47 after Zay Dyer capped off a 9-0 run with 4:39 remaining. A late run by the Red Wolves that included five triples lessened the margin, but 15 by Makayia Hallmon, 13 by Dyer and Porchia and 12 by Ja'Mia Hollings pushed them to a series sweep.
Saturday was a tale of two halves for Troy in the Mitchell Center after the team was down 50-42 at the half. However, Nia Daniel and Hallmon erupted in the second half as No. 12 scored 17 on 6-of-11 from the field to finish with 21 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, two steals and one assist. Hallmon also scored 14 of her 18 in the final 20 minutes. Overall, Troy outrebounded USA 30-10 in the second half and shot 45.5 percent while limiting the opposition to 26.7 to complete the 88-79 comeback.
Winners of six straight against the Mountaineers, Troy's last loss came on Jan. 1, 2021, in Trojan Arena, 78-66. The last these teams matched up was Feb. 21, 2023, where Troy won the rebound battle, 55-35, to survive despite shooting 35 percent from the field. Hallmon (17), Hollings (16) and Porchia (14) all scored in double-figures as the Trojans outscored App State 25-7 in the fourth quarter to win 73-66.
Rise or Fall
The Mountaineers have split their last four games, beating Georgia State and James Madison, while falling to Old Dominion and Marshall – all games were played at home – to remain with a chance to rise to the fifth seed or fall to 10th. Their most recent game saw the Mountaineers survive James Madison, 83-79, on 40 percent from deep.
Alston Faith and Taylor Lewis dominated the scoring sheet with 25 and 23 points, respectively, on a combined 8-of-18 from deep. The pair also combined for 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Alston is a premiere scorer and passer in the nation, ranking second in the SBC and 46th in the country for assists per game (5.0), and fifth in the conference and 44th nationally in scoring (18.5).
Despite an unhealthy season for the Mountaineers, they've found their identity from behind the arc, shooting 23.5 3-pointers a game with 7.5 makes to rank third in both categories for the SBC – 31.9 percent shooting sits fifth for the league. Since league play started, App State ramped up its 3-point game with 8.4 made triples to sit second.
Troy vs. App State Numbers
• 13 conference wins for Troy marks the 10th straight season with 12-plus SBC victories for head coach Chanda Rigby.
• Last week, Hollings led the Trojans in points (43), field goals made (18) and rebounds (22) en route to Sun Belt Player of the Week. She averaged 21.5 points on 58.1 percent from the field and 70 percent from the line. The West Point native also notched two double-doubles, averaging 11 rebounds. Add in two steals per game and 'Stixs' dominated all-around.
• After starting 0-4 on the road, the Trojans won eight of their last 10 to sit at 8-6.
• Porchia continues to lead the conference in offensive rebounds at 4.4 while ranking ninth in the nation.
• Troy reclaimed its crown as the leading rebound team in the conference with 47.15 per game – own the second most offensive (17.1) and defensive rebounds (30.1). They also rank second in the nation, 0.21 rebounds from LSU at No. 1.
• On 174 free throw attempts, Hallmon converted 137 to sit sixth for Troy all-time and D-I history for career free throw percentage (78.7).
• Porchia sits fourth in career field goal percentage at 49.9, seventh in scoring average at 13.8 and ninth in rebound average at 7.6 for Troy D-I history – her field goal percentage also sits eighth all-time.
• If the season ended today, Porchia would have shot the eight-best field goal percentage in Troy D-I history for a single season at 52.1.
• Porchia swiped a career-high five steals in the win over South Alabama.
• Troy is winners of six straight against App State, defeating the Mountaineers by an average win margin of plus-18.5 – only have lost twice in the program's history.
• The Trojans ride a five-game win streak since defeating Bowling Green, 88-78, on Feb. 10. Over those five games, the Trojans have an average win margin of plus-10.2 while shooting 43.4 percent from the field. They've also averaged 50.4 rebounds to outrebound opponents 252-163. Individually, Hollings shined with 100 points scored (20.0) while sitting second in rebounds at 9.4 – Porchia leads with 9.8.
• Porchia's 18-point, 12-rebound performance against South Alabama marked her third straight double-double, pushing her season total to 17 – ninth of 2023-24.
The Trojans (17-10, 13-3 SBC) sit two games behind Marshall for the No. 1 spot, needing the Thundering Herd to lose out while they go 2-0 for a chance at the regular-season championship. A win also guarantees the Trojans get no lower than the No. 2-seed for the tournament. On the Mountaineers' (15-13, 8-8 SBC) side, they sit ninth after clinching a first-round bye with a chance to move up to fifth.
Game Information
Location: Troy, Ala. – Trojan Arena
The Matchup: Troy (17-10, 13-3 SBC) vs App State (15-13, 8-8 SBC)
When: Wednesday, February 28 – 6 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
So, You're Saying There's a Chance
Troy earned the title of 'Road Warriors' after sweeping the week against Arkansas State, 77-65, and South Alabama, 88-79, to finish the road schedule at 8-6 after starting the season 0-4. Tai'Sheka Porchia headlined both games when she tallied back-to-back double-doubles to average 15.5 points and 11.5 rebounds. She also shot 61.1 percent from the field and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds.
Nearly one month after their first matchup went to overtime in Trojan Arena, the Trojans dominated the Red Wolves, 77-65. Troy ballooned its lead to 28, 75-47 after Zay Dyer capped off a 9-0 run with 4:39 remaining. A late run by the Red Wolves that included five triples lessened the margin, but 15 by Makayia Hallmon, 13 by Dyer and Porchia and 12 by Ja'Mia Hollings pushed them to a series sweep.
Saturday was a tale of two halves for Troy in the Mitchell Center after the team was down 50-42 at the half. However, Nia Daniel and Hallmon erupted in the second half as No. 12 scored 17 on 6-of-11 from the field to finish with 21 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, two steals and one assist. Hallmon also scored 14 of her 18 in the final 20 minutes. Overall, Troy outrebounded USA 30-10 in the second half and shot 45.5 percent while limiting the opposition to 26.7 to complete the 88-79 comeback.
Winners of six straight against the Mountaineers, Troy's last loss came on Jan. 1, 2021, in Trojan Arena, 78-66. The last these teams matched up was Feb. 21, 2023, where Troy won the rebound battle, 55-35, to survive despite shooting 35 percent from the field. Hallmon (17), Hollings (16) and Porchia (14) all scored in double-figures as the Trojans outscored App State 25-7 in the fourth quarter to win 73-66.
Rise or Fall
The Mountaineers have split their last four games, beating Georgia State and James Madison, while falling to Old Dominion and Marshall – all games were played at home – to remain with a chance to rise to the fifth seed or fall to 10th. Their most recent game saw the Mountaineers survive James Madison, 83-79, on 40 percent from deep.
Alston Faith and Taylor Lewis dominated the scoring sheet with 25 and 23 points, respectively, on a combined 8-of-18 from deep. The pair also combined for 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Alston is a premiere scorer and passer in the nation, ranking second in the SBC and 46th in the country for assists per game (5.0), and fifth in the conference and 44th nationally in scoring (18.5).
Despite an unhealthy season for the Mountaineers, they've found their identity from behind the arc, shooting 23.5 3-pointers a game with 7.5 makes to rank third in both categories for the SBC – 31.9 percent shooting sits fifth for the league. Since league play started, App State ramped up its 3-point game with 8.4 made triples to sit second.
Troy vs. App State Numbers
• 13 conference wins for Troy marks the 10th straight season with 12-plus SBC victories for head coach Chanda Rigby.
• Last week, Hollings led the Trojans in points (43), field goals made (18) and rebounds (22) en route to Sun Belt Player of the Week. She averaged 21.5 points on 58.1 percent from the field and 70 percent from the line. The West Point native also notched two double-doubles, averaging 11 rebounds. Add in two steals per game and 'Stixs' dominated all-around.
• After starting 0-4 on the road, the Trojans won eight of their last 10 to sit at 8-6.
• Porchia continues to lead the conference in offensive rebounds at 4.4 while ranking ninth in the nation.
• Troy reclaimed its crown as the leading rebound team in the conference with 47.15 per game – own the second most offensive (17.1) and defensive rebounds (30.1). They also rank second in the nation, 0.21 rebounds from LSU at No. 1.
• On 174 free throw attempts, Hallmon converted 137 to sit sixth for Troy all-time and D-I history for career free throw percentage (78.7).
• Porchia sits fourth in career field goal percentage at 49.9, seventh in scoring average at 13.8 and ninth in rebound average at 7.6 for Troy D-I history – her field goal percentage also sits eighth all-time.
• If the season ended today, Porchia would have shot the eight-best field goal percentage in Troy D-I history for a single season at 52.1.
• Porchia swiped a career-high five steals in the win over South Alabama.
• Troy is winners of six straight against App State, defeating the Mountaineers by an average win margin of plus-18.5 – only have lost twice in the program's history.
• The Trojans ride a five-game win streak since defeating Bowling Green, 88-78, on Feb. 10. Over those five games, the Trojans have an average win margin of plus-10.2 while shooting 43.4 percent from the field. They've also averaged 50.4 rebounds to outrebound opponents 252-163. Individually, Hollings shined with 100 points scored (20.0) while sitting second in rebounds at 9.4 – Porchia leads with 9.8.
• Porchia's 18-point, 12-rebound performance against South Alabama marked her third straight double-double, pushing her season total to 17 – ninth of 2023-24.
Players Mentioned
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/ Basketball (W)Ashley Beverly Kelley - Troy University Sports Hall of Fame
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