Troy Blows Out Southern Miss on Senior Day

Saturday, February 15

Troy, Ala.

3:33 p.m.

Troy University

17-10,11-3Sun Belt

Southern Miss

9-17,4-10Sun Belt

Southern Miss.

Troy

Troy Blows Out Southern Miss on Senior Day

2/15/2025 7:12:00 PM | Basketball (W)

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Troy women's basketball had the perfect send-off for its seniors, Briana Peguero, Ashley Baez, Brianna Jackson, Leilani Guion, Shaulana Wagner and Emma Imevbore, as they blew out Southern Miss on Saturday afternoon in Trojan Arena, 86-59, on 53.2 percent shooting.

With the win, Troy (17-10, 11-3 SBC) has a two-game lead over App State and Coastal Carolina as the No. 3 seed with four games remaining. The Golden Eagles (9-17, 4-10 SBC) drop their second straight and third in the last four to Troy as they fall into a three-way tie with Georgia Southern and Texas State for 10^th.

Ten of the 11 players that checked in for Troy, including all the seniors, ended in the scoring column as Jackson led the way with 17 points and two steals. 'Moe' has finished seven of the last eight games in double-digits. Zay Dyer followed her with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while Khila Morris (11) had her second straight game in double-figures. Imevbore also impressed with seven points, seven rebounds and a team-high three blocks. Overall, the Trojans shot 53.2 percent from the floor for their second-best shooting performance of the season.

Morgan Sieper opened the game with a pair of triples to end the night with five en route to a team-high 17 points for Southern Miss. Nyla Jean and Mikaylah Manley ended with 12 apiece on a combined 10-of-24 shooting. The Trojans held USM's leading scorer and rebounder, Melyia Grayson, to six points and seven rebounds while limiting the Golden Eagles' offense to eight points in the paint and 35.6 percent shooting.

Senior Day Send-Off
Three-pointers summarized the opening minute of the ballgame as Peguero hit the crossover and connected from deep, 3-0. Sieper had the response for USM to tie the game from behind the arc, 3-3, with 9:21 left in the first.

Troy quickly shifted the offensive scheme inside when Dyer connected on the fastbreak, 5-3, from Wagner, before fellow Guion hit a pair of layups, 9-3. The triples came back shortly after when Sieper hit her second of the game –Jackson proceeded to hit her fifth triple of the season with 7:14 left to reextend the advantage, 12-6.

Fast-forward to 5:04 remaining in the first, and Bre Sutton hit a pair at the charity stripe, 14-11, which would be USM's last points until 0:12 left as senior Imevbore ripped the ball from Grayson and immediately converted inside to open a 10-0 run.

The 10-0 run that opened with Imevbore continued with Morris converting a jumper in the paint and Jackson making the second-chance layup and fastbreak lay-in to extend the lead to double-figures, 22-11 – 1:13 left on the clock. Troy's run ended with Baez, who made a pair at the line, 24-11.

With 6:45 left in the first half, Samantha Shanks hit two free throws to trim the deficit to 12, 29-17. The Trojans would finish the first half, outscoring the Golden Eagles 14-8, starting with three free throws from Peguero, 32-17, and ending on a triple by Emani Jenkins, 43-18.

In the first half, Troy dominated the paint, allowing Southern Miss to make just one bucket in the paint compared to its 24. The Golden Eagles shot 3-of-19 from inside the arc while mustering just 27.6 percent overall in the opening 20 minutes. Troy also saw nine of its 11 players that checked in score a point for a 43-25 lead.

The Trojans exploded again out of the break with a 7-0 run that ended on a Jackson layup off a USM turnover to double the opposition's score, 50-25, with 7:48 left in the third. The run opened when Wagner grabbed the offensive rebound and found Dyer inside for the second chance make, followed by buckets from Guion (1), Wagner (2), and Jackson (2).

The remaining 18 minutes saw Troy pour it on Southern Miss, as it never let the margin dip below 20. Troy made another run, 6-0, with 1:29 left in the fourth to see its largest lead of the game, 85-55, and finished with a 27-point victory on senior day.

Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"It was a pleasure to see the seniors get sent off with a huge win on senior day. We honored six players and three extended members of our Troy family. They all had some family here tonight and people that have helped them along the way. And we saw them show how much they've improved on and off the court. While the people might not know how much they've improved in life, they showed it all on the court tonight. Associate head coach Jennifer Graf had a great scout with keeping it away from Melyia for USM. The emotions hit after the game when I talked with the parents. It just hit me that I won't be back with these players next season. They grow up so fast, and I'm so proud of them. We're going to enjoy this. But on Monday, we have to lock back in because it's tough to win on the road, and we need to do that at ULM."

Back on the Road
Troy returns to the road for its final road trip before the SBC Tournament, starting on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 6:30 p.m. against ULM.

Senior Day Notes
• Shaulana Wagner returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Marshall on Jan. 4 with two points, nine assists and five rebounds.
• The victory over Southern Miss marks Troy's third in the last four meetings, improving its record to 3-6, 3-3 SBC all-time.
• Troy's reign in Trojan Arena continued as it improved to 9-1, 7-0 SBC at home.
• Troy's six seniors combined for 51 points, 24 rebounds, 11 assists, six steals and four blocks on their senior day.
• The Trojans held USM to 3-of-19 from inside the arc in the first half for two points in the paint to Troy's 24. Troy finished by outscoring USM 54-8 in the paint.
• Jackson's 17 points marked her seventh double-digit scoring performance in the last eight games.
• After Troy's 86 points against USM, it's 14-0, 10-0 SBC when scoring above 80 points.