Women’s Basketball Overcomes 23-Point Deficit to Defeat Longwood

Wednesday, December 3

Farmville, Va.

10 a.m.

Troy University

8-1,0-0Sun Belt

Longwood

6-4,0-0Big South

Troy

Longwood

Women’s Basketball Overcomes 23-Point Deficit to Defeat Longwood

12/3/2025 1:58:00 PM | Basketball (W)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

FARMVILLE, Va. – Troy found itself down 23 with 3:46 left in the second quarter and stormed back to defeat Longwood 86-83 Wednesday afternoon in the Joan Perry Brock Center.

The Trojans continue their historic start at 8-1 as they overcame their first 20-plus point deficit since Alaska-Anchorage (20) on Nov. 22, 2024. They sealed the win with five seconds remaining when Shakirah Edwards came up with a steal against the Lancers (6-4).

Fortuna Ngnawo led the comeback with 12 of her team-high 19 points and all 10 of her rebounds in the second half after foul trouble sidelined her in the first 15 minutes. It's the second straight game Ngnawo has had a double-double. Baez also scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half, while Emani Jenkins ended with 16 after hitting all four of her triples in the final 20 minutes. Rachel Leggett reached double figures for the first time since the season opener with 10 points. Troy improved from 39 percent shooting in the first half, when it was outscored 51-36, to 45.5 percent shooting while outscoring Longwood 50-32 in the second half.

Amor Harris was responsible for the large Trojan deficit with 20 of her team-high 26 points in the first half on 8-of-9 shooting. She went 1-of-7 in the second half. Malea Brown recorded a double-double on 17 points and 12 rebounds, with 12 and eight coming in the first half, respectively. Longwood shot 29 percent in the second half and was outrebounded 33-18 after halftime.

Comeback Queens
Longwood opened the second half with five straight points to push the lead back to 20, 56-36, but Jenkins answered with a triple off a Baez assist, before Ngnawo pulled up to return the margin to 15, 56-41, with 8:02 left in the third.

Zay Dyer extended Troy's 10-0 run going with a second-chance jumper, and Baez found Jenkins again from deep to cut the margin to 10, 56-46, at the 3:10 mark. The margin steadied at 15, 62-47, with 4:20 left, before the Trojans closed the third on an 18-4 run to be trail by one, 66-65, entering the fourth. The run began with a Baez triple with 4:02 on the clock and ended with a pair of free throws from Saniya Jackson with 0:29 remaining – Jackson (5), Ngnawo (4), Dyer (2) and Baez (7) scored on the run.

Troy kept its run going into the final quarter as Jenkins found Ngnawo for the turnaround jumper at the 0:21 mark to complete the 23-point comeback and give Troy its first lead of the game, 67-66. Jenkins followed it with her third triple of the half, 70-66.

The Trojans built an eight-point advantage, 80-72, with 6:05 remaining after Ngnawo scored off a Jackson assist. Longwood mounted a rally of its own, pulling within two, 80-78, on a free throw with 2:25 left. The teams traded buckets until Troy entered the final possession up 86-83. With five seconds left, Harris drove to the basket but was stripped by Edwards, sealing the comeback.

Run to End the Half
Longwood controlled the first 17 minutes, jumping out to a 23-point advantage, 46-23, off a triple by Brown for her 12^th point. Ngnawo halted the momentum with her first bucket of the game, 46-26, off an and-one with 3:25 on the clock.

After a Lancers bucket, Baez drove in the lane and hit a floater before Ngnawo got her second field goal on a turnaround jumper, 48-30, at the 7:28 mark. Another Longwood miss allowed Edwards to find Ngnawo for her seventh point in two minutes with 2:06 left in the first half (48-36).

With 1:41 left, Longwood hit one at the line, but Leilani Guion pulled up for a jumper before Dyer grabbed the offensive rebound and finished inside to cap a 13-3 run. Troy entered the break down 15, 51-36, after a buzzer-beater lay-in from Frances Ulysse.

Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"We've had some great comeback stories in our Trojan history, but this one might be one of the most special because of how down and out we were. We were getting killed in every single stat and found ourselves down 23. But we found a way in that second half. We made just one or two adjustments, and the team did great with it. Everything turned around with Fortuna. She got in early foul trouble and just saw us go down further and further. But when her name was called, she went out and did what she did and sparked us back. Right now, this is the greatest comeback I've been a part of. Maybe that's bias with me just being in it, but when I saw Shakirah get that block to seal it, I just wanted to cry. I had so much emotion. To just be able to go back to Troy with so many possibilities."

Up Next
The Trojans head back home for the date with Oakwood in Trojan Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 10, at 12 p.m.

Virginia Stats
• Troy completed a 23-point comeback against Longwood for its largest since Alaska-Anchorage (20) on Nov. 22, 2024.
• Ngnawo is 9-of-9 with games in double-figures after leading the Trojans with 19 points against Longwood. She also claimed her second-straight double-double with 10 rebounds.
• Emani Jenkins hit four triples in the win over Longwood for her fifth game with three or more 3-pointers – she's hit 20 in her last six games.
• After being outrebounded 26-17 in the first half, Troy won the rebounding battle 50-44 with 23 offensive boards.
• Troy dominated the paint with 58 points compared to Longwood's 22.
• After being outscored 51-36 on 39 percent shooting, the Trojans outscored the Lancers 50-32 in the second half on 45.5 percent shooting.
• Troy continued its best start in D-I history at 8-1.