Troy University Athletics
Troy University
22-11,15-3Sun Belt
ULM
21-14,10-8Sun Belt
Women’s Basketball Advances to Fab 4 With Third Win Over ULM
4/1/2024 10:23:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – History continues to be made at Trojan Arena as the Troy women's basketball program rallies behind its seniors to defeat ULM, 89-75, in the Great 8 to advance to the WNIT Fab 4.
For the third time in 2023-24, the Trojans (22-11, 15-3 SBC) defeat the Warhawks (21-14, 10-8 SBC) for a clean sweep behind a sixth straight double-double from Ja'Mia Hollings on a team-high 22 points and 16 rebounds.
All four seniors shined, with Hollings on top with a 9-of-22 night for 22 points, 16 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Makayia Hallmon followed closely behind in points with 19 on 9-of-10 shooting at the charity stripe. At the same time, Tai'Sheka Porchia was one rebound shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Nia Daniel tallied 14 points. The Trojans shot a clean 76.9 percent from the line, including 11-of-13 at the charity stripe in the fourth.
Daisha Bradford did her part for ULM on a 31-point, 6-rebound, 4-assist and 4-steal night through 29 minutes of play. Brianna Harris and Lauren Gross joined her in double-figures with 10 points, eight rebounds and 16 points, respectively. The second quarter bit the Warhawks, where they shot 23.5 percent while allowing Troy to shoot 55.6 for a 10-point advantage into the half.
Fab 4 Bound
The third quarter saw Troy hold its double-digit advantage throughout before ballooning it to a game-high 17, 76-59, in the fourth when an offensive rebound for Zay Dyer led to a second-chance jumper for Leilani Guion at the 4:19 mark.
Bradford wasn't going out without a fight when she followed Katlyn Manuel's layup with a pair of lay-ins off Troy turnovers, including an and-one to cut the deficit to 10, 76-65 – 4:36 on the clock. The Warhawks kept pushing, bringing the Troy lead down to six, 78-72, with 2:19 remaining when Harris converted on the fast break.
Once again, it was the seniors for Troy that stepped up at the free throw line when Hallmon (4-of-4) and Hollings (2-of-2) combined to go 6-of-6 from the line in the next three offensive possessions to bring the lead back to 14, 86-72, with 0:49 remaining.
Olivia Knight cut the free throw run with a make from behind the arc on an assist from Bradford, 86-75, at the 9:19 mark. But the seniors in Hallmon and Daniel put the punctuation mark on advancing to the Fab 4, icing the game with a trio of free throws, 89-75.
Second Quarter Difference
Troy got off to a hot start offensively when Hallmon drilled a triple off an assist from Daniel 0:04 into the ballgame, 3-0. Hallmon continued her tear, swiping the ball from Bradford before earning a pair at the line, 5-0.
ULM didn't shy away, battling back to take a three-point lead when Harris drilled a triple, 13-10, at the 3:12 mark. However, Hollings sparked the Trojans with a jumper followed by a Hallmon triple to retake the lead, 15-13, with 5:24 remaining, and hold it for the remainder of the quarter, 21-19.
After the Warhawks grabbed the lead back on a Bradford jumper in the paint, 23-21, at the 0:42 mark of the second quarter, Leilani Augmon tied the score, 23-23, on an assist from Shaulana Wagner, and the Trojans rolled from there. Augmon's bucket sent Troy on a 13-3 run, where Porchia brought the lead to double-figures, 36-26, with 2:34 left in the half.
A pair of ULM lay-ins cut the lead back down to six, 38-32, at the 8:41 mark, but a Hallmon jumper and a Daniel layup with 0:14 on the clock pushed Troy's lead back to 10, 42-32, heading into the break. Overall, the Trojans shot a game-high 55.6 percent in the second quarter and limited ULM to four buckets on 17 attempts (23.5 percent) to push the advantage.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"What a night in Trojan Arena. We continue to make history, and these seniors won't let us go out. Our word for the night was everything, and these players gave everything. ULM was a great team tonight. They were very determined, and they had high-level players. But our players exceeded them. Our plan was to limit them in transition and outscore them in that category, and we limited them well. This was a tough one, and I just pray that we keep it going and have the best wisdom to pass it on to our players because they just want to keep winning."
Fab 4
Troy hosts its third WNIT game on Wednesday, April 3, at 6 p.m. in Trojan Arena against Minnesota.
Great 8 Numbers
• Hollings extended her double-double streak to six as No. 11 tallied 22 points and 16 rebounds – marked her 15th of 2023-24 and 24th in her career.
• The victory over ULM marks a 3-game series sweep as the Trojans extend their win streak over the Warhawks to 13.
• Troy improved its record when shooting above 40 percent 19-2 after a 43.2 percent night. With 86 points, the Trojans also improved their record when scoring 80-plus points to 16-2.
• With the first bucket of the game 0:04 into the game by Hallmon, the Trojans converted their 1,000th field goal of 2023-24, extending the team's D-I record.
• Troy's second quarter is where it shined, shooting 55.6 percent from the field while limiting the Warhawks to 23.5 and 0-of-5 from deep. The Trojans also outrebounded ULM 18-7 in the quarter.
• 16 rebounds for Hollings pushed her above Felmas Koranga (646) on the D-I all-time career rebound list with 651 – sits three from passing Alecia Jones (653) for fourth.
