Troy University Athletics
Troy University
22-12,15-3Sun Belt
Minnesota
20-15,5-13Big Ten
Historic Women’s Basketball Season Ends to Minnesota in Fab 4
4/3/2024 10:17:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – A historic 22-12, 13-5 SBC season, where the Troy women's basketball team turned a 0-6 start into the deepest postseason run in program history, comes to an end in the Fab 4 at Trojan Arena to the hands of Minnesota Wednesday night.
A record-breaking 4,333 fans witnessed insatiable effort as seniors Ja'Mia Hollings, Makayia Hallmon and Tai'Sheka Porchia put on a show for the final time in a cardinal and white uniform, accounting for 65 of the Trojans' 69 points (94.2 percent).
Hollings became the 26th women's basketball program member to reach 1,000 points at Troy with her seventh straight double-double on 25 points and 12 rebounds. Porchia followed closely behind with her 10th double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds), while Hallmon netted 19.
The Golden Gophers (20-15, 5-13 Big Ten) advance to play St. Louis in the WNIT championship game behind a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double from Sophie Hart in 22 minutes of action. Mallory Heyer (15), Grace Grocholski (11) and Amaya Battle (18) also reached double-digits in the victory.
Heck of Ride
The fourth quarter opened with the Trojans trailing by three, 62-59, and it wouldn't break past six as Minnesota managed a second-chance jumper from Battle, and Hart scored a lay-in, 66-60. But Porchia scored a trio of points through the first three minutes of the fourth to cut it back to four with a second-chance layup, 66-62.
Janay Sanders scored off a Troy turnover, 68-62, but Hollings wouldn't be denied with back-to-back makes inside, followed by a free throw conversion to make it a one-point game, 68-67, with 0:55 remaining.
The dagger from Minnesota came 0:15 later when Sanders found Grocholski open for a triple and followed it with a free throw, 72-67.
Leilani Augmon kept it a one-possession game, 72-69, with 0:15 remaining, when she wrestled for the offensive rebound and converted inside. However, Battle iced the game with 0:15 left at the free throw line, 73-69, and the Trojans' postseason run came to an end.
Roar Back
Minnesota looked to have control of the game with 6:11 to go in the third when Hart grabbed the offensive rebound and finished the second-chance bucket for a 14-point advantage, 56-42.
The remainder of the third was all Troy when Porchia scored the second-chance lay-in, followed by an and-one by Hollings and another jumper by No. 10 to cut the deficit to seven, 56-49, at the 6:24 mark.
A triple for Heyer paused the Trojan run, 59-49, at the 6:02 mark, but Leilani Guion started it back up with a pair of free throws, 59-51. Seniors Porchia and Hallmon kept the momentum when the All-Sun Belt First Team member Porchia intercepted the ball, leading to a second-chance bucket in the paint, 59-53. Then, a defensive rebound by Guion led to her finding Hallmon on the fast break to cut it to four, 59-55, with 2:37 remaining.
Two free throws from Battle, 60-55, were met with another jumper by Hallmon, 61-57 – 1:31 on the clock. After both teams traded turnovers, Porchia broke through with 0:08 left to make it a one-possession game, 61-59.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"Tonight was one of the best nights in Trojan Arena. All those fans were behind us all night. This team has created such an impact, and we are so grateful to have played in that kind of environment. This team did everything we asked of them, and I think that's what hurts the most. As far as the basketball game, we had to focus on their 6-5 center, and they had an obvious height advantage. I wish that when No. 52 went out, we would've made more hay in those moments. The end of the game was all about the Trojans. We created momentum with our press and intensity. If we had another minute, we would've won the game. But that's not how basketball works. Instead, I can sit here and be grateful and proud of this team for their accomplishments. They started 0-6 and turned it around to sit in the semifinals of a WNIT National Tournament."
Fab 4 Numbers
• Hollings extended her double-double streak to seven as No. 11 tallied 25 points and 12 rebounds – marked her 16th of 2023-24 and 25th in her career.
• Hollings became the 26th player in Troy history to score 1,000 points on her bucket with 5:45 remaining in the second.
• Troy made its deepest D-I postseason run in history, winning three games, including two inside Trojan Arena, to put its WNIT record at 3-3.
• The Trojans excelled in the second and third quarters, combining for 44 points on 19-of-42 from the field and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.
• Shaulana Wagner ends 2023-24 with the fifth most assists in a D-I season at 150.
• The seniors cemented their legacy as a Trojan, ending with the following career and season rankings for D-I history:
No. 3 – Hallmon
Career: Scoring average (eighth – 15.1), free throw percentage (fifth – 78.8)
Season: Field goals attempted (fourth – 471)
No. 10 – Porchia
Career: Field goal percentage (fourth – 50.7), scoring average (seventh – 13.7),
rebounding average (ninth – 7.6)
Season: Field goal percentage (eighth – 57.1), free throws made (tied for sixth – 108),
free throw attempts (eighth – 148), rebounds (eighth – 272)
No. 11 – Hollings
Career: Field goal percentage (sixth – 47.9), rebounds (fourth – 658)
Season: Points (sixth – 536), field goals made (fourth – 218), rebounds (fifth – 315),
rebounding average (10th – 9.3),
