Women’s Basketball Sees First Blemish at Kansas State

Tuesday, November 18

Manhattan, Kan.

6:30 p.m.

Troy University

3-1,0-0Sun Belt

Kansas State

4-2,0-0Big 12

Troy

Kansas St.

Women’s Basketball Sees First Blemish at Kansas State

11/18/2025 10:01:00 PM | Basketball (W)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Despite a tight first half with Troy's defense holding Kansas State to just 33.3 percent shooting, the Troy women's basketball team sees its first blemish of the year, 81-59, on Tuesday night in the Bramlage Coliseum.

The Trojans (3-1) suffered their first loss of the year despite forcing 15-plus turnovers in their fourth straight game to start 2025-26, as the Wildcats (4-2) committed 18 (14 in the first half).

Emani Jenkins led the way for Troy as she scored nine of her team-high 15 points in the final quarter with three triples. Troy found its range in the final 10 minutes, making five triples after scoring just one in the first three quarters. Fortuna Ngnawo and Zay Dyer neared double-doubles, with Ngnawo being the second Trojan in double-figures at 10 – she also led the team with three steals and had nine rebounds. Meanwhile, Dyer sits six away from 1,000 career points after finishing with nine points and 12 rebounds.

Kansas State shot just 12-of-36 in the first half with 14 turnovers but improved to 18-of-36 from the field with only four turnovers after the break. Jordan Speiser recorded a double-double for the Wildcats with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Tess Heal finished one rebound shy with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Battle-Tested
The first half was defined by defense, as Troy stayed within reach through the opening quarter, 15-12, holding Kansas State to 33.3 percent shooting from the field and 12.5 percent from deep while forcing seven turnovers.

Kansas State opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and a fastbreak layup for a 20-12 lead with 8:45 left. Ngnawo ended the run briefly, 20-14, after Leilani Guion forced a steal and found her inside for the layup.

An and-one by Tess Heal for the Wildcats brought the lead back to nine, 23-14, but Troy kept coming back to get the margin to five on five occasions on points from Saniya Jackson (6), Emani Jenkins (4) and Rachel Leggett (4) – Jackson made it 33-28 with 1:56 left in the half on a pair of free throws.

Troy's defense stood strong in the first half, forcing 14 Kansas State turnovers and scoring nine points off them. The Trojans also held their Big 12 opponent to 12-of-36 shooting (33.3 percent) with two 3-pointers.

The Trojans entered the break down seven, 35-28, before Brandie Harrod struck first for the Wildcats to push the lead to nine, 37-28, 21 seconds into the second half. A second-chance opportunity by Leggett allowed her to find Ashley Baez for Troy's first 3-pointer of the game, 37-31, before Jenkins hit a jumper to cut it to four, 37-33, with 7:54 left in the third.

After Troy trimmed the margin to five, 41-36, with 5:59 left in the third on a Dyer free throw, Kansas State launched a 16-2 run over the next five minutes to end the quarter up 18, 59-41.

Kansas State extended its lead after Dyer scored the opening bucket of the fourth, 59-43, going on another 14-3 run to take its largest lead of the game at 27, 73-46. Five of Troy's six fourth-quarter field goals came from beyond the arc, as Jenkins connected on a pair of 3-pointers with 2:34 remaining to trim it to 21, 76-55, but it wasn't enough as Troy suffered its first loss of 2025-26.

Up Next
Troy continues its pair of road Power-4 matchups as it heads to Columbia, Mo. for a date with Missouri on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 11:30 a.m.

Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"It was a night of growing pains. It was our first road game with a bunch of new players. To play the first one on the road against a historically great team in Kansas State, who was in the Sweet 16 last year. So, you need to be your best in order to come into their house and win. I was very proud of the execution and the effort in the first quarter. We were getting players open, but weren't hitting the shots. And I think our players tried adjusting their shots because of Kansas State's size. But really, we need to teach our players, don't adjust, just keep going up strong. The story shows it, because our field goal percentage tells the story. And then, as the game went on, we strayed from our game plan, which led to wide-open shots. But, overall, I'm proud of this team's effort. Now, we just need to learn from this and go through the growing pains to be elite."

Manhattan Stats
• Zay Dyer's nine points make her just six away from joining the 1,000-point club.
• For the fourth straight game, Troy forced 15-plus turnovers, with Kansas State committing 18.
• Fortuna Ngnawo scored 10 points to open the season with four straight games in double-figures – she's the only Trojan with that feat.
• Troy shone in the rebounding battle, outworking Kansas State 55-50 with 23 offensive rebounds – Dyer led the way with seven.
• Emani Jenkins hit three triples in the final quarter, marking 10^th career game with 3-plus triples.
• Zay Dyer led Troy with 12 rebounds to move into the sixth spot on Troy's D-I career rebound leaders.