Troy University Athletics
Saturday, November 29
Las Vegas, Nev.
9:30 p.m.
Troy University
7-1,0-0Sun Belt
74
vs
70
Florida Gulf Coast
2-4,0-0ASUN
1
2
3
4
F
Troy
22
21
13
18
74
FGCU
18
17
13
22
70
Women’s Basketball Wins Thriller Over Florida Gulf Coast for Best Start in Division-I History, Claims Resorts World Las Vegas Classic Title
11/30/2025 12:58:00 AM | Basketball (W)
LAS VEGAS – Troy made history Saturday night with a 74-70 thriller in the Resorts World Arena to claim the best Division-I start in program history at 7-1, while winning the 2025 Resorts World Las Vegas Classic title.
With 0:01 on the clock, Ashley Baez iced the game at the free throw line to give the Trojans (7-1) their best start since 1991-92 and best in Division-I history – the previous best was 6-1 in 2019-20. Troy also claimed its first victory in program history over Florida Gulf Coast after entering 0-2 and won its third in-season tournament in the last three seasons (Austin Peay Christmas Classic – 2023, Great Alaska Shootout – 2024).
Baez, who transferred from Florida Gulf Coast, hit five critical free throws in the final 15 seconds to finish with 10 points – she went 8-of-10 at the charity stripe. Zay Dyer was Troy's leading scorer and rebounder with her third straight double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Her 14 rebounds pushed her to third in Division I and 10th all-time in career rebounds (700). Fortuna Ngnawo (14) and Emani Jenkins also added double-digits. For Ngnawo, she's 8-for-8 in double-digit games in 2025-26.
Maca Retamales was Florida Gulf Coast's shining light, posting 29 points on 10-of-17 from the floor, four triples and five free throws. Anna Mortag followed her with a 12-point performance but shot 5-of-14 from the field and 2-of-7 from deep. Despite outshooting the Trojans, 45.6 to 42 percent, the Eagles were outrebounded 47-34 to fall to the Trojans.
Crunch Time in Vegas
The Trojans held steady through the third, maintaining a double-digit advantage through most of the quarter as they held Florida Gulf Coast to 31.3 percent shooting. Rachel Leggett, Ashley Baez and Zay Dyer combined to give Troy its largest lead of the game with 7:19 left in the third when Dyer made the second-chance layup.
Florida Gulf Coast stormed back in the fourth quarter with back-to-back triples from Maca Retamales, 56-54, to make it a one-possession game with 8:53 left. The Eagles wouldn't allow the Trojans to push the lead past four for the remainder of the game – both times came off Dyer buckets.
With a 67-63 lead at the 6:11 mark of the fourth off a Dyer second-chance lay-in, neither side scored until 1:32 remained, when Retamales hit the triple to make it a one-point game, 67-66. Both sides exchanged layups before going silent again from the field.
The Eagles aimed for the lead with 0:32 left with a triple, but a miss allowed Troy to take the clock down to 0:15 before Florida Gulf Coast fouled Baez. The former Eagle turned Trojan hit both at the line for a 71-68 advantage.
Cerina Rolle quickly scored for the Eagles, 71-70, with 0:08 on the clock, and a 1-of-2 showing at the line for Baez gave the opposition a chance. Coming out of the timeout, the Eagles' leading scorer in Retameles made a bad pass with 0:03 remaining to turn the ball over and allow Baez to ice the game for a 74-70 win.
Push To Double-Figures in the First Half
Florida Gulf Coast opened with a 7-1 lead off a fastbreak lay-in, a triple and a driving layup, with Troy making one free throw in the first 2:31 of the game. Dyer turned the momentum towards Troy with an and-one off the assist from Ngnawo to open an 8-2 burst.
After the Eagles committed an offensive foul, Jenkins drove inside for the lay-in, followed by a second-chance rebound for Ngnawo to claim the 8-7 lead with 6:12 left in the first. The game stayed tight through the rest of the opening quarter until Jenkins hit the triple with 0:11 left for a 22-18 lead.
Troy ran the momentum into the second quarter with buckets from Jenkins and Dyer to push the lead to six, 26-20, with 8:46 on the clock. Both sides exchanged blows, but Troy slowly expanded its advantage. The Trojans found a 7-point lead on three occasions, including a pull-up jumper for Lana Koricanac and twice on second-chance layups for Dyer. Troy eventually pushed its lead to double-digits when Detavia Salter made the layup, and Jenkins followed it with a 3-pointer with 0:27 left in the half.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"We're extremely proud to win this tournament out in Las Vegas. We played a team that just took down undefeated Stanford and is predicted to win its conference. The fact that we didn't shoot well and still found a way to win showed maturity. Our senior leadership truly shone through adversity. This game went back and forth, and when it got late, we stayed composed and came out on top. Thank you to Troy University, Chancellor Jack Hawkins and Kyle George for allowing us to come out here and win this thing. This is like a practice run for the SBC Tournament, so going out and winning it shows what we can do. Next up, we go into a hornet's nest against Longwood. So, we're going to go home, get back on a plane and go play."
Up Next
Troy continues its road trip on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m. against Longwood at the Joan Perry Brock Center.
Vegas Stats
• By improving to 7-1, the Trojans have their best start since 1991-92 when they went 10-1.
• Troy ended the Las Vegas Resorts World Classic as the lone 2-0 team in the tournament to crown them champions. It's the third in-season tournament the Trojans have won in the last three seasons, with the Austin Peay Christmas Classic (2023) and Great Alaska Shootout (2024).
• Zay Dyer claimed her third straight double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
• Lana Koricanac claimed a career-high in points in the opening 10 minutes with five points in the first quarter – she ended with seven.
• The 4-point victory marked Troy's first game decided by single digits.
• Fortuna Ngnawo finished in double figures for the eighth straight game with a 14-point performance.
• Zay Dyer's 14 rebounds against FGCU pushed her to third in Division I and 10th all-time for career rebounds (700).
With 0:01 on the clock, Ashley Baez iced the game at the free throw line to give the Trojans (7-1) their best start since 1991-92 and best in Division-I history – the previous best was 6-1 in 2019-20. Troy also claimed its first victory in program history over Florida Gulf Coast after entering 0-2 and won its third in-season tournament in the last three seasons (Austin Peay Christmas Classic – 2023, Great Alaska Shootout – 2024).
Baez, who transferred from Florida Gulf Coast, hit five critical free throws in the final 15 seconds to finish with 10 points – she went 8-of-10 at the charity stripe. Zay Dyer was Troy's leading scorer and rebounder with her third straight double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Her 14 rebounds pushed her to third in Division I and 10th all-time in career rebounds (700). Fortuna Ngnawo (14) and Emani Jenkins also added double-digits. For Ngnawo, she's 8-for-8 in double-digit games in 2025-26.
Maca Retamales was Florida Gulf Coast's shining light, posting 29 points on 10-of-17 from the floor, four triples and five free throws. Anna Mortag followed her with a 12-point performance but shot 5-of-14 from the field and 2-of-7 from deep. Despite outshooting the Trojans, 45.6 to 42 percent, the Eagles were outrebounded 47-34 to fall to the Trojans.
Crunch Time in Vegas
The Trojans held steady through the third, maintaining a double-digit advantage through most of the quarter as they held Florida Gulf Coast to 31.3 percent shooting. Rachel Leggett, Ashley Baez and Zay Dyer combined to give Troy its largest lead of the game with 7:19 left in the third when Dyer made the second-chance layup.
Florida Gulf Coast stormed back in the fourth quarter with back-to-back triples from Maca Retamales, 56-54, to make it a one-possession game with 8:53 left. The Eagles wouldn't allow the Trojans to push the lead past four for the remainder of the game – both times came off Dyer buckets.
With a 67-63 lead at the 6:11 mark of the fourth off a Dyer second-chance lay-in, neither side scored until 1:32 remained, when Retamales hit the triple to make it a one-point game, 67-66. Both sides exchanged layups before going silent again from the field.
The Eagles aimed for the lead with 0:32 left with a triple, but a miss allowed Troy to take the clock down to 0:15 before Florida Gulf Coast fouled Baez. The former Eagle turned Trojan hit both at the line for a 71-68 advantage.
Cerina Rolle quickly scored for the Eagles, 71-70, with 0:08 on the clock, and a 1-of-2 showing at the line for Baez gave the opposition a chance. Coming out of the timeout, the Eagles' leading scorer in Retameles made a bad pass with 0:03 remaining to turn the ball over and allow Baez to ice the game for a 74-70 win.
Push To Double-Figures in the First Half
Florida Gulf Coast opened with a 7-1 lead off a fastbreak lay-in, a triple and a driving layup, with Troy making one free throw in the first 2:31 of the game. Dyer turned the momentum towards Troy with an and-one off the assist from Ngnawo to open an 8-2 burst.
After the Eagles committed an offensive foul, Jenkins drove inside for the lay-in, followed by a second-chance rebound for Ngnawo to claim the 8-7 lead with 6:12 left in the first. The game stayed tight through the rest of the opening quarter until Jenkins hit the triple with 0:11 left for a 22-18 lead.
Troy ran the momentum into the second quarter with buckets from Jenkins and Dyer to push the lead to six, 26-20, with 8:46 on the clock. Both sides exchanged blows, but Troy slowly expanded its advantage. The Trojans found a 7-point lead on three occasions, including a pull-up jumper for Lana Koricanac and twice on second-chance layups for Dyer. Troy eventually pushed its lead to double-digits when Detavia Salter made the layup, and Jenkins followed it with a 3-pointer with 0:27 left in the half.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"We're extremely proud to win this tournament out in Las Vegas. We played a team that just took down undefeated Stanford and is predicted to win its conference. The fact that we didn't shoot well and still found a way to win showed maturity. Our senior leadership truly shone through adversity. This game went back and forth, and when it got late, we stayed composed and came out on top. Thank you to Troy University, Chancellor Jack Hawkins and Kyle George for allowing us to come out here and win this thing. This is like a practice run for the SBC Tournament, so going out and winning it shows what we can do. Next up, we go into a hornet's nest against Longwood. So, we're going to go home, get back on a plane and go play."
Up Next
Troy continues its road trip on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m. against Longwood at the Joan Perry Brock Center.
Vegas Stats
• By improving to 7-1, the Trojans have their best start since 1991-92 when they went 10-1.
• Troy ended the Las Vegas Resorts World Classic as the lone 2-0 team in the tournament to crown them champions. It's the third in-season tournament the Trojans have won in the last three seasons, with the Austin Peay Christmas Classic (2023) and Great Alaska Shootout (2024).
• Zay Dyer claimed her third straight double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
• Lana Koricanac claimed a career-high in points in the opening 10 minutes with five points in the first quarter – she ended with seven.
• The 4-point victory marked Troy's first game decided by single digits.
• Fortuna Ngnawo finished in double figures for the eighth straight game with a 14-point performance.
• Zay Dyer's 14 rebounds against FGCU pushed her to third in Division I and 10th all-time for career rebounds (700).
Team Stats
TROY
FGCU
FG%
.420
.456
3FG%
.167
.308
FT%
.520
.556
RB
47
34
TO
9
10
STL
6
3
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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G
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G
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F
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F
/ Basketball (W)Troy vs. Georgia Southern (Full Highlights)
Thursday, January 22
Chanda Rigby Postgame Press Conference - Georgia Southern
Thursday, January 22
Player Postgame Press Conference (Ashley Baez, Rachel Leggett) - Texas State
Saturday, January 17
Chanda Rigby Postgame Press Conference - Texas State
Saturday, January 17