Troy University Athletics
Troy University
19-10,15-3Sun Belt
South Alabama
9-22,2-16Sun Belt
Women’s Basketball Scores Back-to-Back 100-Point Games, Defeats South Alabama in Regular-Season Finale
3/1/2024 10:16:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – Back-to-back 100-point games for Troy women's basketball and a 108-71 victory over in-state rival South Alabama caps off the regular season in Trojan Arena on Friday night.
With the No. 2 seed clinched on Wednesday, the Trojans (19-10, 15-3 SBC) confirmed an eighth straight top-four seed in the SBC Tournament and set their sights on the winner of the Louisiana-Arkansas State second-round matchup next Friday. Troy also clinched the 14th and last seed of the SBC for the Jaguars (9-22, 2-16 SBC) with the season sweep.
Seniors Makayia Hallmon, Ja'Mia Hollings and Tai'Sheka Porchia combined for 53 points, 22 rebounds and five steals in the win as the Trojans produced a season-high 108 points on the second-highest field goal percentage of 53 percent. Hallmon led with 21 points on 9-of-16 from the field while Hollings grabbed her second straight double-double on 15 points and 10 rebounds – Porchia finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Off the bench, Leilani Guion erupted for a career-high 18 points in 16 minutes of play, drilling a team-high three triples.
Although on the opposition, Rachel Leggett continued her family's legacy in Trojan Arena, with a team-high 26 points and nine rebounds for USA, shooting 10-of-16 from the field. Jordan Rosier was lethal from deep with five triples to finish with 17 points, while Nadia Howard worked the post for 11. However, the Jaguars couldn't overcome an 18-point deficit heading into halftime on a combined 9-of-31 from the field.
Over Early Once Again
Like Wednesday, Troy opened with a 7-0 run to set the pace when Hallmon took the screen from Porchia, pulled up for a deep two, and drew the and-one, 3-0, at the 0:37 mark. Unlike Wednesday, the Jaguars fought back early, trimming the deficit down to two, 7-5, at the 3:37 mark on a pair of free throws from Leggett.
The score remained within two possessions until the 7:07 mark when Shaulana Wagner flew in for the offensive rebound and converted the lay-in to start a 9-0 to end the first quarter, 24-11. Zay Dyer continued her impressive week with five straight points to close the quarter, including her fourth triple of 2023-24.
Fast forward to 3:18 remaining in the half, and Leggett converted in the paint to bring the margin to 11, 32-21. However, the Leilani's responded with Leilani Augmon converting the jumper before Guion drilled a triple at the 7:19 mark, 39-23. They kept the run going when Guion swiped the ball and dished it to Augmon for the layup, 41-23 – 2:24 on the clock.
Porchia put the Trojans up 21, 44-23, with 0:58 left in the half to finish a 10-0 run when she hit the free throw and followed it with a second-chance layup. South stopped the bleeding before halftime, 44-26, ending with three free throws from Leggett (1) and Tyrielle Williams (2).
100 Points
Troy stormed out of the gates in the third quarter when Hollings grabbed the offensive rebound and got the tip-in layup, 46-26, which opened a 15-2 run that ended on a free throw from Sharonica Hartsfield, 59-31, to see a 31-point lead for Troy with 6:55 remaining.
The domination continued throughout the third quarter when Troy topped off at 38 on two occasions. First, Guion grabbed the offensive rebound and fought through the contact for an and-one, 76-38. Leggett got a layup to bring it back 36, 76-40, but Porchia immediately responded at the 8:37 mark, 78-40, when she got the assist from Dyer.
South drew the deficit down to 27 to open the fourth when they outscored Troy 8-4, and Rosier converted from deep. However, the Trojans kept their high efficiency and found their way into triple-digits on a 3-pointer by Guion, 101-63, with 2:47 remaining.
The lead reached 43, 106-63, as Gabbi Cartagena caught fire with back-to-back buckets, including a triple from the corner. When the buzzer sounded, Troy completed the sweep over USA with a 37-point victory, 108-71.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"Such a fun night in Trojan Arena. It was our last home game in the regular season and second straight time scoring over 100 points. A lot of things need to go right for that, so we're grateful that many things are coming together. Our seniors came out and gave great energy out of the gate, and then our bench came in and was on fire. They are all playing so well, and they are playing for each other. The energy of this team is amazing. I genuinely love our seniors. Even if they weren't great basketball players, they're the most lovable people. They made so many improvements on and off the court and turned out to represent this program in such a fantastic way. They are all special and met all that we've demanded of them up to this point, and after the game in the locker room, one-by-one, they all said after the game 'we aren't coming back to Troy without a championship.'"
Finale Numbers
• For the eighth straight season, the Trojans finished as a top-four seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, winning three tournament championships and three regular season titles.
• Guion scored 18 points in 16 minutes to set a new career-high on 7-of-9 from the field and three triples.
• For the first time in Sun Belt history, the Trojans enter the postseason tournament as the No. 2 seed.
• Troy shot above 50 percent from the field in 3-of-4 quarters, peaking with 75 percent in the fourth to finish the game at 53 (44-of-83).
• Troy set numerous season-highs from behind the arc with 11 made threes on 23 attempts for 47.8 percent shooting – went 5-of-7 from deep in the fourth.
• Defensively, Troy forced 21 turnovers, resulting in 29 points.
• With a ninth straight win in Trojan Arena, the Trojans finish 2023-24 at 9-4.
Postseason Play
The Sun Belt Tournament first sees the Trojans on Friday at 7:30 p.m. when they take on the winner of a No.7 (Louisiana)/10-seed (Arkansas State) battle.
