Troy University Athletics
Women’s Basketball Set to Host Kent State in MAC-SBC Challenge on Feb. 8
1/13/2025 12:00:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – The Troy women's basketball program is set to play Kent State in Trojan Arena on Saturday, Feb. 8, for the second round of the 2024-25 MAC-SBC Challenge, the league offices announced Monday afternoon.
"Kent State will be a great challenge for us and one that we welcome," head coach Chanda Rigby said. "The Golden Flashes have been to five postseason tournaments since Coach Starkey became their head coach. It will be great to compete against another team that possesses a championship mentality."
Troy women's basketball is on red hot, riding a four-game win streak in league play. Most recently, the Trojans went 2-0 on the road with wins over App State, 85-68, and Georgia State, 80-72. Meanwhile, the Golden Flashes rank 127th in the NET rankings on a 10-6, 3-1 MAC record, winning four of their last five games.
After winning the inaugural MAC-SBC Challenge on the men's and women's front in 2023-24, the Sun Belt Conference will need to redeem themselves in the second round of 2024-25. The women's side went 4-8 against the MAC through the opening matchups, needing nine home wins to go back-to-back.
Through the opening 17 games, the Trojans are ranked 116th in the NET, sitting in a five-way tie for second place in the SBC standings at 4-1. Troy also leads the nation in rebounding with 50.24 per game while sitting atop the league in blocks (4.2), opposing field goal percentage (36.8), rebound margin (plus-10.8) and defensive rebounds (33.5). Individually, Zay Dyer is a frontrunner for the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year race as she ranks sixth in the country (leads SBC) for double-doubles with 10, averaging 13.8 points and 10.9 boards – her 10.9 rebounds lead the conference and ranks ninth in D-I basketball.
The MAC-SBC Challenge was formed at the recommendation of the Sun Belt's strategic planning committees for men's and women's basketball. Scheduling assistance is provided by Ordinal Sports Group. In addition to relevant NET data, geography and frequency of past contests are considered in determining the matchups. In a joint league announcement on Nov. 4, the MAC-SBC Challenge was extended two additional years through the 2026-27 season.
"Kent State will be a great challenge for us and one that we welcome," head coach Chanda Rigby said. "The Golden Flashes have been to five postseason tournaments since Coach Starkey became their head coach. It will be great to compete against another team that possesses a championship mentality."
Troy women's basketball is on red hot, riding a four-game win streak in league play. Most recently, the Trojans went 2-0 on the road with wins over App State, 85-68, and Georgia State, 80-72. Meanwhile, the Golden Flashes rank 127th in the NET rankings on a 10-6, 3-1 MAC record, winning four of their last five games.
After winning the inaugural MAC-SBC Challenge on the men's and women's front in 2023-24, the Sun Belt Conference will need to redeem themselves in the second round of 2024-25. The women's side went 4-8 against the MAC through the opening matchups, needing nine home wins to go back-to-back.
Through the opening 17 games, the Trojans are ranked 116th in the NET, sitting in a five-way tie for second place in the SBC standings at 4-1. Troy also leads the nation in rebounding with 50.24 per game while sitting atop the league in blocks (4.2), opposing field goal percentage (36.8), rebound margin (plus-10.8) and defensive rebounds (33.5). Individually, Zay Dyer is a frontrunner for the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year race as she ranks sixth in the country (leads SBC) for double-doubles with 10, averaging 13.8 points and 10.9 boards – her 10.9 rebounds lead the conference and ranks ninth in D-I basketball.
The MAC-SBC Challenge was formed at the recommendation of the Sun Belt's strategic planning committees for men's and women's basketball. Scheduling assistance is provided by Ordinal Sports Group. In addition to relevant NET data, geography and frequency of past contests are considered in determining the matchups. In a joint league announcement on Nov. 4, the MAC-SBC Challenge was extended two additional years through the 2026-27 season.
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