Fourth Quarter Explosion Returns Troy to Win Column Over Southern Miss

Saturday, February 1

Hattiesburg, Miss.

1 p.m.

Troy University

14-9,8-3Sun Belt

Southern Miss

8-14,4-7Sun Belt

Troy

Southern Miss.

Fourth Quarter Explosion Returns Troy to Win Column Over Southern Miss

2/1/2025 4:43:00 PM | Basketball (W)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – A fourth-quarter explosion by Troy women's basketball returned it to the win column, 70-45, on Saturday afternoon for the program's first victory over Southern Miss in the Reed Green Coliseum.

The Trojans (14-9, 8-3 SBC) end a two-game skid and a two-game win streak for the Golden Eagles (8-14, 4-7 SBC) as five players finished in double-figures. Saturday's win marks the second victory all-time over Southern Miss (2-6).

Briana Peguero and Emani Jenkins led the Trojans with 13 points, combing for six of the team's seven triples. Behind them with 10 apiece was Fortuna Ngnawo and Brianna Jackson, who combined to shoot 9-of-18 from the floor – Ashley Baez was the final Trojans with 10-plus points (11). Jackson's 10 points extended her double-digit scoring onslaught to five as she was one rebound (9) from a double-double. The second-best shot blocker in the Sun Belt also rejected a team-high two shots.

Southern Miss couldn't handle the boards as it was outrebounded 58-28, giving up 22 offensive rebounds for 22 second-chance points. The opposition also shot 27.1 percent from the field, giving up a 50 percent shooting clip in the fourth quarter. Nyla Jean was the lone Golden Eagle to produce on the scoring column as she led the team with 17 points on five made field goals, three triples and four free throws. Bre Sutton shined on the defensive end, swiping four steals, but countered it with six turnovers of her own.

Pull Away Early
Neither team found the bottom of the bucket in the first three minutes of the game as both sides played a defensive chess match until Baez grabbed the offensive rebound and finished, 2-0, at the 2:50 mark.

USM responded by taking the lead on a pair of shots inside for Sutton and Melyia Grayson, 4-2, with 5:55 remaining in the first. Ngnawo, who made her first start since Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 1, 2024, retied the game at four 0:36 later on a second-chance layup.

Ngnawo's bucket opened an 11-0 run that continued when Peguero capitalized off a dribbling turnover and drilled the triple to take a 7-4 lead. Emma Imevbore followed with a pull-up jumper at the free throw line, 9-4, and rejected Grayson's shot on the other end. Zay Dyer's jumper and Leilani Guion's pull-up bucket ended the run, 13-4, with 1:36 left in the first.

Troy entered the second quarter with an eight-point advantage, 15-7, after Ngnawo ended the first with a jumper off the Peguero assist. The Golden Eagles struck first in the second, 15-9, off a Grayson layup, but the post for Troy ballooned the lead to double-digits, 19-9, at the 3:02 mark when Brianna Jackson made the tip-in layup and assisted Ngnawo inside.

Fourth Quarter Eruption
Troy held control for the rest of the first half, pushing the advantage to 13, 28-15, with 2:30 remaining with a pair of steals from Jenkins and Baez – Baez finished both possessions inside. Coming out of the locker room, Troy held a 30-22 lead, and the defensive chess match opened again in the third quarter with both sides combining for 23 points – Troy led 40-35 entering the fourth.

On a jumper, Grayson made it a one-possession game 0:24 into the fourth, 40-37. But Jenkins had the 3-point response as Baez found her for the perimeter make, 43-37.

The game flipped to Troy when Sutton's pass was intercepted by Guion, leading to a shooting foul on Baez. The contact ensued with a technical foul on Southern Miss, which led to a 4-point swing on free throws from Baez (3) and Peguero (1) for a 47-37 lead with 8:49 on the clock.

Over the following three minutes, Troy neared perfection, outscoring USM 14-3 to hold a 21-point lead with 5:19 remaining – the run ended on a layup by Baez. Troy would take the run and continue to outscore the Golden Eagles 30-10 in the fourth on 50 percent shooting (44.4 percent from deep) to return to the win column.

Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"What a good day we had here in Southern Miss. We followed the game plan and stayed with our primary defense. Our team got in a grove and kept them in. I'm most proud of our rebound effort, outrebounding them by 30 and scoring 30 points in the fourth quarter. It's hard to win here. They have one of the best post players in Grayson for the Sun Belt Conference. But I think our post players contained her well and were able to score on her, which shows our growth as a program. We harp on rebounds. There's not a day that goes by when that is our emphasis. And in the fourth quarter, it was like a muscle memory, especially in the fourth quarter. Their coach, Joye Lee-McNelis, wasn't on the floor today, but a day doesn't go by when we don't pray for her. We love her, and I'm happy we were able to do something small to show our support for her. Now, we return home. And this game is going to give us a boost against Old Dominion. We need our sixth man and can't wait to get home."

Welcome to Trojan Arena
Troy returns home for a four-game stretch, starting Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. against Old Dominion.

Hattiesburg Notes
• Ngnawo made her first start since Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 1, 2024, ending the night with 10 points, six rebounds and a steal.
• For the 12^th game, Baez had multiple steals, ending the night on a team-high of three.
• Jenkins continued her 3-point onslaught with a trio behind the arc. She's made 19 over the last five games, with multiple triples in 10 of the previous 11 games (27 total).
• Jackson extended her double-digit scoring streak to five with a near double-double (10 points, nine rebounds).
• The victory marks just the second all-time against Southern Miss and the first in the Reed Green Coliseum (1-4).
• Five Trojans ended in double-figures for the first time since Louisiana (Jan. 18) and the sixth time in 2024-25.
• The fourth quarter saw Troy erupt to outscore Southern Miss 30-10 on 50 percent shooting from the floor and 44.4 percent from deep.
• Troy dominated the rebound battle 58-28, with 22 offensive rebounds that led to 22 second-chance points.