Troy University Athletics
Saturday, February 1
Hattiesburg, Miss.
1 p.m.
Troy University
at
Southern Miss
Troy Finishes Road Trip at Southern Miss
1/31/2025 1:06:00 PM | Basketball (W)
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Hungry to return to the win column, the Troy women's basketball program looks for its first victory over Southern Miss in the Reed Green Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m.
With two straight losses, the Trojans (13-9 SBC) sit fourth in the league standings at the midway point of Sun Belt play. The Golden Eagles (8-13, 4-6 SBC) are on the flip side, with two straight victories to be in a two-way tie with Georgia State for ninth.
Game Information
Location: Hattiesburg, Miss. – Reed Green Coliseum
The Matchup: Troy (13-9, 7-3 SBC) vs. Southern Miss (8-13, 4-6 SBC)
When: Saturday, Feb. 1 – 1 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Fourth at the Midpoint
After rattling off seven straight wins to open 2025, Troy dropped two straight to Louisiana, 70-53, and Arkansas State, 91-77, to sit fourth in the league, three games behind James Madison. History indicates Saturday will be a close matchup, with the last two matchups ending within single digits and four of the seven meetings coming in that margin.
The losses haven't affected Troy's ability to lead the league in points, ranking 30th in the nation with 78 points per game. In league play, Zay Dyer (13.2) and Briana Peguero (12.2) rank in the top 20, with No. 5 seated fifth in field goal percentage at 43.5 and No. 1 positioned second in free throw percentage at 92.6.
The Trojans have also been a top shot-blocking team in the league, on the fifth-most rejections per game at 3.7. They also sit second overall with 3.9 blocks per game in 2024-25 behind Brianna Jackson. Jackson sits 63rd in D-I basketball with 31 total blocks (second in the SBC) and 82nd with 1.41 per game (second in the SBC). She comes off a four-block game at Arkansas State to have a rejection in 12 of her last 14 games (21 total). Dyer also adds to the numbers, ranking seventh in the league with 1.0 per game.
En route to having the most points per game in the conference, Troy also ranks in the top 4 on shooting from the field (second – 43.3), from behind the arc (fourth – 34.4) and at the charity stripe (second – 76.9) in SBC play. Offensive rebounds have helped with their scoring output as the nation's leader in total rebounds (49.64) also sits ninth in the country and second in the Sun Belt with 16.3 per game.
Undefeated in Reed Green
Southern Miss is 4-0 against the Trojans in the Reed Green Coliseum and 6-1 all-time after handing the opposition the first win in program history in Trojan Arena, 77-70, last season. The Golden Eagles have won three of their previous four games, including back-to-back over Marshall, 54-48, and Texas State, 52-46. Their third win was a 78-49 blowout over South Alabama.
Since league play started, Southern Miss has been a defensive team, allowing the fourth-fewest points in the SBC at 63.3 on the fifth-lowest opponent field goal percentage (38.3). Despite identifying with the defense, Melyia Grayson has been one of the conference's leading scorers at 15.5 points per game for fifth in the SBC. She also trails just Dyer in the rebound column with 9.4 boards per game.
Hattiesburg Heads Up
• Troy leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring offense while ranking 30th in the country with 78 points per game.
• In league play, the Trojans rank in the top 4 on shooting from the field (second – 43.3), from behind the arc (fourth – 34.4) and at the charity stripe (76.9).
• Emani Jenkins and Peguero both rank in the top 10 for league play 3-pointers made, sitting second (2.4) and eighth (2.1), respectively.
• The Trojans claimed their first-ever victory over the Golden Eagles in Trojan Arena last season in a 77-70 victory.
• Troy eyes its first win in Hattiesburg, entering Saturday 0-4 all-time.
• In Hattiesburg last season, Shaulana Wagner seized a team-high 11 rebounds and five assists. The game was decided in the fourth quarter when USM outscored Troy 24-9, holding Troy to 18.8 percent from the field.
• Through the opening 22 games, Troy remains the premiere team in the country for rebounding, leading the pack with 49.64 per game.
• Head coach Chanda Rigby (153-70) secured her 150th career Sun Belt Conference victory over Georgia State. The feat has only been done twice before in league history via Brian Boyer (Arkansas State – 193) and Joe Foley (Little Rock – 231).
• Jackson rejected 3-plus shots for the third time in 2024-25 at ASU and the 18th time in her career, ending the night with four.
• Dyer leads the SBC in double-doubles with 11 – she also ranks ninth in the nation. No. 5 also holds the top spot in rebounds at 10.7 and ranks 14th nationally.
• Jackson has rejected a shot in 12 of the last 14 games (21 total) to rank second in the SBC with 1.41 blocks per game – Jackson ranks second in total blocks at 31.
• Troy led 41-35 into the half and lost at Arkansas State, marking just its first loss in league play when entering the third quarter with the lead (5-1).
• Morris seized a career-high eight rebounds and dished out a career-high six assists against ASU.
• Ashley Baez has swiped multiple steals in 11-of-22 games in 2024-25, including 35 in the last 18 games.
• Despite losing, Troy relished in the paint, outscoring Arkansas State 48-26 and outshot the opponent 44 percent to its 40.
• Troy still dominates Arkansas State over the last 15 matchups with a 13-2 record.
• On Troy's seven-game win streak, Peguero led the team in scoring (14.9) and assists (five) while having 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals. She's also shot 50.8 percent from the field, 54.3 percent from deep and 91.3 percent at the line, ending in double-figures in six of the seven games.
• Peguero is 21-of-42 from deep in the last nine games, averaging 2.3 makes per game on 50 percent shooting.
• Dyer dominated the board in the first half at Louisiana with 12 (10 offensive) to end with 19 rebounds and her 12th game with 10-plus rebounds – she's grabbed 15-plus rebounds in five games and became the first Trojans since Tai'Sheka Porchia at ULM on Feb. 1, 2024, to have 10-plus offensive rebounds.
• Despite the loss to Louisiana and Arkansas State while shooting above 70 percent at the charity stripe, Troy remains 12-3, 6-2 SBC when hitting at the line.
• When Troy scores 80-plus points, it is 11-0, 7-0 SBC.
• Peguero currently leads Troy in single-season program history at .947 (36-of-38).
• Jenkins has hit 16 triples over the last four games, with multiple triples in nine of her previous 10 games (24 total).
• Dyer's 10.7 rebounds tie for fourth in Troy D-I single-season history, while her 7.9 career rebound average sits seventh in D-I history.
• The Trojans put the 3-point game into their arsenal through league play, jumping from 5.3 triples on 26.7 percent shooting in nonconference play to 8.6 on 34.4 percent.
• For the first time since Feb. 13, 2000, at Coastal Carolina (124-103), the Trojans scored triple-figures on the road in league play – Troy lost that game. The last victory on the road in SBC play was a 100-89 victory over Arkansas State on Feb. 9, 2019 – Troy defeated Texas State 105-58 on Thursday.
• Troy secured 100-plus points for the second time in 2024-25 on the 105-58 victory – the first came against Oakwood on Dec. 4, 2024 (109-47). Overall, it's the 38th game under Rigby with 100-plus points (35-3).
• Jenkins tied for second in Troy D-I history with 19 other players for the most triples in a single game at six at Texas State – she's the first since Jasmine Robinson at Georgia Southern (Feb. 5, 2021).
• Troy's 14 triples against the Bobcats marked the most for Troy since it hit 15 against Georgia Southern on Feb. 16, 2019. Thursday was also the 52nd time in Rigby's tenure that her Trojans made double-digit triples.
• The 47-point victory marked the largest in program history for league road games. The previous high was 41 points, 93-52, at Louisiana on Feb. 25, 2009.
• The Trojans opened their homestand at 6-0 for the fourth time (2017-18, 2019-20, 2021-22) and 4-0 in SBC play for the second time (2018-19).
• In seven of the last eight games, Peguero led Troy in assists.
• Baez has scored in double-figures in 16-of-22 games and led Troy in scoring five times.
• Guion has made at least one triple in 12 of her last 15 games (19 total).
• Dyer scored 20-plus points in three of her last 11 games and 10-plus points in 16 of her 22 starts.
• Dyer sits 21 rebounds away (235) from entering the top 10 (Lashunya Johnson – 256) for most total rebounds in a Troy D-I season.
• Troy's seven-game win streak saw it shoot higher than 40 percent, win the rebound battle and score more than 80 points.
• Dyer earned Sun Belt Player of the Week (Jan. 7), averaging 18 points, 16.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in wins against Coastal Carolina and Marshall - she followed it with back-to-back awards (Jan. 14) on 20 points, 16.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks over App State and Georgia State.
• No. 5 became the first Trojan to go back-to-back with SBC POTW awards since Kayla Robinson (Feb. 5, Feb. 12) in 2017-18.
• No. 13 has led Troy in scoring and/or assists in all 15 games in 2024-25 she's played in.
• Guion currently sits eighth in Troy D-I history and ninth overall for career 3-point percentage at 35.5 (49-of-138).
• Dyer and Jackson went back-to-back with 21-rebound performances to tie Sky'Lynn Holmes for the fourth-most rebounds in a single game at the Division-I level.
• Wagner became the first D-I player in Troy women's basketball history to record a triple-double on 12 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. She's one of 11 players in the country and the lone SBC player to record a triple-double in 2024-25.
• In 10 of her last 15 games, Wagner's finished with 5-plus assists. She's collected 5-plus assists 25 times in her Troy career.
• Wagner joined the Troy career record book, taking over the 10th spot for total D-I assists at 243. She's 39 from surpassing Kylie Morrissy (2005-09 – 281) for ninth.
• The 2024-25 roster contains zero underclassmen, with six as seniors and six as juniors.
With two straight losses, the Trojans (13-9 SBC) sit fourth in the league standings at the midway point of Sun Belt play. The Golden Eagles (8-13, 4-6 SBC) are on the flip side, with two straight victories to be in a two-way tie with Georgia State for ninth.
Game Information
Location: Hattiesburg, Miss. – Reed Green Coliseum
The Matchup: Troy (13-9, 7-3 SBC) vs. Southern Miss (8-13, 4-6 SBC)
When: Saturday, Feb. 1 – 1 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Fourth at the Midpoint
After rattling off seven straight wins to open 2025, Troy dropped two straight to Louisiana, 70-53, and Arkansas State, 91-77, to sit fourth in the league, three games behind James Madison. History indicates Saturday will be a close matchup, with the last two matchups ending within single digits and four of the seven meetings coming in that margin.
The losses haven't affected Troy's ability to lead the league in points, ranking 30th in the nation with 78 points per game. In league play, Zay Dyer (13.2) and Briana Peguero (12.2) rank in the top 20, with No. 5 seated fifth in field goal percentage at 43.5 and No. 1 positioned second in free throw percentage at 92.6.
The Trojans have also been a top shot-blocking team in the league, on the fifth-most rejections per game at 3.7. They also sit second overall with 3.9 blocks per game in 2024-25 behind Brianna Jackson. Jackson sits 63rd in D-I basketball with 31 total blocks (second in the SBC) and 82nd with 1.41 per game (second in the SBC). She comes off a four-block game at Arkansas State to have a rejection in 12 of her last 14 games (21 total). Dyer also adds to the numbers, ranking seventh in the league with 1.0 per game.
En route to having the most points per game in the conference, Troy also ranks in the top 4 on shooting from the field (second – 43.3), from behind the arc (fourth – 34.4) and at the charity stripe (second – 76.9) in SBC play. Offensive rebounds have helped with their scoring output as the nation's leader in total rebounds (49.64) also sits ninth in the country and second in the Sun Belt with 16.3 per game.
Undefeated in Reed Green
Southern Miss is 4-0 against the Trojans in the Reed Green Coliseum and 6-1 all-time after handing the opposition the first win in program history in Trojan Arena, 77-70, last season. The Golden Eagles have won three of their previous four games, including back-to-back over Marshall, 54-48, and Texas State, 52-46. Their third win was a 78-49 blowout over South Alabama.
Since league play started, Southern Miss has been a defensive team, allowing the fourth-fewest points in the SBC at 63.3 on the fifth-lowest opponent field goal percentage (38.3). Despite identifying with the defense, Melyia Grayson has been one of the conference's leading scorers at 15.5 points per game for fifth in the SBC. She also trails just Dyer in the rebound column with 9.4 boards per game.
Hattiesburg Heads Up
• Troy leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring offense while ranking 30th in the country with 78 points per game.
• In league play, the Trojans rank in the top 4 on shooting from the field (second – 43.3), from behind the arc (fourth – 34.4) and at the charity stripe (76.9).
• Emani Jenkins and Peguero both rank in the top 10 for league play 3-pointers made, sitting second (2.4) and eighth (2.1), respectively.
• The Trojans claimed their first-ever victory over the Golden Eagles in Trojan Arena last season in a 77-70 victory.
• Troy eyes its first win in Hattiesburg, entering Saturday 0-4 all-time.
• In Hattiesburg last season, Shaulana Wagner seized a team-high 11 rebounds and five assists. The game was decided in the fourth quarter when USM outscored Troy 24-9, holding Troy to 18.8 percent from the field.
• Through the opening 22 games, Troy remains the premiere team in the country for rebounding, leading the pack with 49.64 per game.
• Head coach Chanda Rigby (153-70) secured her 150th career Sun Belt Conference victory over Georgia State. The feat has only been done twice before in league history via Brian Boyer (Arkansas State – 193) and Joe Foley (Little Rock – 231).
• Jackson rejected 3-plus shots for the third time in 2024-25 at ASU and the 18th time in her career, ending the night with four.
• Dyer leads the SBC in double-doubles with 11 – she also ranks ninth in the nation. No. 5 also holds the top spot in rebounds at 10.7 and ranks 14th nationally.
• Jackson has rejected a shot in 12 of the last 14 games (21 total) to rank second in the SBC with 1.41 blocks per game – Jackson ranks second in total blocks at 31.
• Troy led 41-35 into the half and lost at Arkansas State, marking just its first loss in league play when entering the third quarter with the lead (5-1).
• Morris seized a career-high eight rebounds and dished out a career-high six assists against ASU.
• Ashley Baez has swiped multiple steals in 11-of-22 games in 2024-25, including 35 in the last 18 games.
• Despite losing, Troy relished in the paint, outscoring Arkansas State 48-26 and outshot the opponent 44 percent to its 40.
• Troy still dominates Arkansas State over the last 15 matchups with a 13-2 record.
• On Troy's seven-game win streak, Peguero led the team in scoring (14.9) and assists (five) while having 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals. She's also shot 50.8 percent from the field, 54.3 percent from deep and 91.3 percent at the line, ending in double-figures in six of the seven games.
• Peguero is 21-of-42 from deep in the last nine games, averaging 2.3 makes per game on 50 percent shooting.
• Dyer dominated the board in the first half at Louisiana with 12 (10 offensive) to end with 19 rebounds and her 12th game with 10-plus rebounds – she's grabbed 15-plus rebounds in five games and became the first Trojans since Tai'Sheka Porchia at ULM on Feb. 1, 2024, to have 10-plus offensive rebounds.
• Despite the loss to Louisiana and Arkansas State while shooting above 70 percent at the charity stripe, Troy remains 12-3, 6-2 SBC when hitting at the line.
• When Troy scores 80-plus points, it is 11-0, 7-0 SBC.
• Peguero currently leads Troy in single-season program history at .947 (36-of-38).
• Jenkins has hit 16 triples over the last four games, with multiple triples in nine of her previous 10 games (24 total).
• Dyer's 10.7 rebounds tie for fourth in Troy D-I single-season history, while her 7.9 career rebound average sits seventh in D-I history.
• The Trojans put the 3-point game into their arsenal through league play, jumping from 5.3 triples on 26.7 percent shooting in nonconference play to 8.6 on 34.4 percent.
• For the first time since Feb. 13, 2000, at Coastal Carolina (124-103), the Trojans scored triple-figures on the road in league play – Troy lost that game. The last victory on the road in SBC play was a 100-89 victory over Arkansas State on Feb. 9, 2019 – Troy defeated Texas State 105-58 on Thursday.
• Troy secured 100-plus points for the second time in 2024-25 on the 105-58 victory – the first came against Oakwood on Dec. 4, 2024 (109-47). Overall, it's the 38th game under Rigby with 100-plus points (35-3).
• Jenkins tied for second in Troy D-I history with 19 other players for the most triples in a single game at six at Texas State – she's the first since Jasmine Robinson at Georgia Southern (Feb. 5, 2021).
• Troy's 14 triples against the Bobcats marked the most for Troy since it hit 15 against Georgia Southern on Feb. 16, 2019. Thursday was also the 52nd time in Rigby's tenure that her Trojans made double-digit triples.
• The 47-point victory marked the largest in program history for league road games. The previous high was 41 points, 93-52, at Louisiana on Feb. 25, 2009.
• The Trojans opened their homestand at 6-0 for the fourth time (2017-18, 2019-20, 2021-22) and 4-0 in SBC play for the second time (2018-19).
• In seven of the last eight games, Peguero led Troy in assists.
• Baez has scored in double-figures in 16-of-22 games and led Troy in scoring five times.
• Guion has made at least one triple in 12 of her last 15 games (19 total).
• Dyer scored 20-plus points in three of her last 11 games and 10-plus points in 16 of her 22 starts.
• Dyer sits 21 rebounds away (235) from entering the top 10 (Lashunya Johnson – 256) for most total rebounds in a Troy D-I season.
• Troy's seven-game win streak saw it shoot higher than 40 percent, win the rebound battle and score more than 80 points.
• Dyer earned Sun Belt Player of the Week (Jan. 7), averaging 18 points, 16.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in wins against Coastal Carolina and Marshall - she followed it with back-to-back awards (Jan. 14) on 20 points, 16.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks over App State and Georgia State.
• No. 5 became the first Trojan to go back-to-back with SBC POTW awards since Kayla Robinson (Feb. 5, Feb. 12) in 2017-18.
• No. 13 has led Troy in scoring and/or assists in all 15 games in 2024-25 she's played in.
• Guion currently sits eighth in Troy D-I history and ninth overall for career 3-point percentage at 35.5 (49-of-138).
• Dyer and Jackson went back-to-back with 21-rebound performances to tie Sky'Lynn Holmes for the fourth-most rebounds in a single game at the Division-I level.
• Wagner became the first D-I player in Troy women's basketball history to record a triple-double on 12 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. She's one of 11 players in the country and the lone SBC player to record a triple-double in 2024-25.
• In 10 of her last 15 games, Wagner's finished with 5-plus assists. She's collected 5-plus assists 25 times in her Troy career.
• Wagner joined the Troy career record book, taking over the 10th spot for total D-I assists at 243. She's 39 from surpassing Kylie Morrissy (2005-09 – 281) for ninth.
• The 2024-25 roster contains zero underclassmen, with six as seniors and six as juniors.
Players Mentioned
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