Women’s Basketball Falls to No. 24 Alabama

Sunday, December 21

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2 p.m.

Troy University

10-2,1-0Sun Belt

Alabama

14-0,0-0SEC

Troy

Alabama

Women’s Basketball Falls to No. 24 Alabama

12/21/2025 4:47:00 PM | Basketball (W)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Troy women's basketball team couldn't hold its halftime lead, falling 77-59 to No. 24 Alabama on Sunday afternoon in the Coleman Coliseum.

Despite the loss, the Trojans finish 2025 with their best start in Division I history at 10-1, 1-0 SBC, while the Crimson Tide (14-0) continues their best start in program history.

Fortuna Ngnawo led the way for Troy with her fourth double-double in the last five games, posting 15 points and 11 rebounds. She was the lone Trojan in double-figures as Leilani Guion was next up with nine points, while Zay Dyer ended with a team-high 12 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive glass. Off the bench, Shakirah Edwards added seven points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal, and Ashley Baez chipped in eight points, four rebounds and two steals.

Jessica Timmons paced Alabama with a 23-point, 12-rebound double-double on 8-of-15 shooting. Karly Weathers followed with points and nine rebounds, while Essence Cody scored 16 points on 7-of-9 from the field. The Crimson Tide shot 45.5 percent from the floor despite a 26.7 percent showing in the second quarter to continue their undefeated start.

Battle Until the End
The second half started with both sides exchanging buckets as Troy reclaimed the lead, 36-35, when Rachel Leggett grabbed her own miss and hit the floater with 9:11 on the clock. Alabama controlled the next three minutes with an 8-0 run to hold the 43-36 lead with 6:10 remaining in the third quarter.

Leilani Guion kept Troy within striking distance, hitting three of Troy's four buckets in the final six minutes on a fadeaway jumper with (5:33 left), a pull-up jumper (3:15 left) and a 3-pointer (0:45 left). Shakirah Edwards added a triple and Dyer made a free throw to enter the final quarter down 53-47.

Quick buckets for Alabama to start the fourth gave it the first double-digit lead of the game, 58-47, with 9:13 left. On Troy's next possession, Ngnawo cut it back to single-digits, 58-49, when she got the pass inside from Edwards and finished at the 1:07 mark.

The Crimson Tide maintained for the final nine minutes of the ballgame before a 9-0 run with 3:34 left pushed it to 21, 77-56. Baez ended the run with 39 seconds left, but Alabama claimed the 77-59 victory.

Lead at the Break
Troy started quickly, winning the tip-off, and Emani Jenkins knocked down the first three of the game just seven seconds in. Alabama fired back with back-to-back baskets before Ngnawo took over until 5:55 remained in the first quarter with two triples and a second-chance jumper for an 11-7 lead.

The Trojans held the lead until 2:41 remaining as Baez hit a free throw to match a second-chance bucket for the Crimson Tide, 12-9. After Weathers hit a second-chance layup, Edwards grabbed the rebound off Alabama's following possession and took it to the basket in five seconds to push the advantage back to three, 14-11.

Alabama took its first lead of the game with back-to-back buckets inside, before Edwards swiped the ball from Essence and took it coast-to-coast for her second straight bucket to reclaim the 16-15 lead.

After Alabama held the advantage for most of the second quarter, Troy roared back in the final four minutes with an 8-0 run to take a 34-32 lead into the break. The run started with a Dyer layup with 3:53 on the clock and ended with a Leilani Guion lay-in with 0:43 left in the half. Dyer, Leggett, Ngnawo and Guion made a bucket in the run.

Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"I'm really proud of our team today. The final score was not indicative of how well we played and how competitive it was. I mean, we were leading at the half and kept it close in the third. They are a great 3-point team, but we held them to just two in the first half. There are a lot of things we can take away from this game. They are coached so very well. And they came in with a solid game plan. I'm also proud of the fans who traveled to watch us play. We gave away all 100 of our tickets, and more people wanted to come. We really don't have to lose again for the rest of the season. This team showed so much in the first semester, and I sent them out for the holidays with an optimistic message of how proud I am of them for what they did."

Up Next
Troy awaits its next matchup at Louisiana on Jan. 1 to resume league play in 2026.

Alabama Stats
• Fortuna Ngnawo continued her double-digit streak, pushing it to 15 straight games with a team-high 15 points.
• Saniya Jackson made her first career start, ending with four points, two rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes.
• Fortuna Ngnawo hit a pair of threes to tie her career-high while earning a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds – her fourth double-double in the last five games.
• On a team-high 12 rebounds, Zay Dyer moved just 20 away (748) from claiming the most in a career (767) for Troy Division-I history.
• Despite the loss, Troy won the battle in transition, outscoring Alabama 10-3 on the fastbreak. They also scored more second-chance points, 21-14.