Troy University Athletics
Wednesday, February 26
Troy, Ala.
7 p.m.
Troy University
19-11,13-4Sun Belt
86
vs
66
Texas State
12-16,6-11Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Texas St.
17
13
19
17
66
Troy
20
16
21
29
86
Troy Sweeps Texas State for Top Three Seed, Chanda Rigby Wins 250th Career Game at Troy
2/26/2025 10:35:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – Troy women's basketball outscored Texas State in all four quarters to clinch a podium finish in the Sun Belt Conference with an 86-66 victory to sweep the opposition. With the victory, head coach Chanda Rigby scored her 250th career victory at Troy – the second coach in program history with 250-plus wins.
The victory sets the stage for Friday night against Arkansas State in Trojan Arena as the Trojans (19-11, 13-4 SBC) sit one game back from the Red Wolves for a No. 2 seed and bid into the semifinals of the SBC Tournament. The Bobcats (12-16, 6-11 SBC) fall into a two-way tie with Marshall for the 10-seed with a 10th straight loss to Troy.
Five players scored in double-figures for Troy, led by Emani Jenkins with 15 points off a 6-of-9 shooting performance, including three triples. For her 22nd game with 10-plus points, Zay Dyer followed Jenkins with 14 while being one rebound short of her 15th double-double. Brianna Jackson and Shaulana Wagner had 12 points apiece as the senior guard ended with nine rebounds and a team-high five assists – Briana Peguero was the final Trojan with double-digits (11) on an 8-of-8 performance at the line. Emma Imevbore also performed off the bench, rejecting a team-high three shots while nearing a double-double on eight points and 10 rebounds.
Ja'Mia Harris was the hero for Texas State, hitting nine of her 19 shots to be the only Bobcat with double-digit points (21). Outside her, the Bobcats shot 17-of-42 for 40 percent shooting and 45 points. Destiny Terrell performed on the defensive end with a team-high 10 rebounds and two blocks but also led Texas State with four turnovers. The Bobcats also struggled on the boards, managing 27 as opposed to Troy's 53.
One Step Back, Two Step Forwared
Texas State brought the margin down to one, 41-40, as it opened the third quarter on a 10-5 push when Blake Matthews hit the jumper in the paint. Wagner had the response for Troy as Leilani Guion found her in the corner, and she hit her sixth triple of the season, 44-40.
Imevbore rejected Texas State's next shot, allowing Peguero to hit a pair at the line before Jenkins drilled the step-back jumper for a 48-40 advantage with 5:19 left in the third. Sierra Dickson made one at the line, 48-41, before Troy continued an onslaught to bring the lead to 12, 53-41, off a fastbreak layup by Fortuna Ngnawo and three free throws from Imevbore (1) and Khila Morris (2).
The Bobcats made one last rally with 0:28 on the clock in the third when Morgan Hill swiped the ball, and Harris pulled up, 55-49. But Wagner was quick with the getback as she drove inside for the layup to end the quarter with a 57-49 lead.
For every shot Texas State had in the fourth, Troy had more, never allowing the margin to slip below eight with 7:45 left, 64-56, on a second-chance and-one by Jaylin Foster. From there, the Trojans outscored the Bobcats 22-10, starting with a 5-0 run from Jenkins to clinch at minimum a top-three seed in the league tournament off a 20-point victory, 86-66.
Foreshadowing
Troy got a hot start in the first 3:12 of the ballgame when Dyer earned the shooting foul with 9:46 on the clock and hit both at the line, 2-0. Harris responded with a triple, 3-2, to take the advantage as both sides went back and forth via six straight points from Dyer with 7:09 left in the opening 10 minutes, 6-5.
Troy bolstered the early advantage via Peguero, who drilled the triple through the contact and finished the four-point play, 10-5. Ngnawo followed with 5:48 left as she grabbed the defensive and offensive rebound for the tip-in layup, 12-5.
The Bobcats pulled back in, tying the game at 16 with 1:26 left in the first as Nicole Leff hit from deep off a Troy turnover. However, Dyer started a 10-1 run that would go into the first 4:29 of the second quarter when she got the assist from Ngnawo and finished the second-chance jumper for an 18-16 lead.
Terrell managed Texas State's only point of the run on a free throw as Guion got the final say of the first when she pulled up inside the paint and hit as time expired, 20-17. The Trojans held Texas State scoreless until 6:31 on the clock in the second as Dyer hit the tip-in layup, Guion had the second-chance pull-up, and Ashley Baez drove inside, 26-17.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"I'm very thankful to have won this victory at Trojan Arena. We looked slightly out of sync with our starters, so our bench came in and made a difference. Emma was massive for us when she came in, whether it was rejecting a shot or at least altering it. She completely cut out their chances inside. And Emani was lethal from deep. She was big with stretching the floor. All glory to God for the success that we've had here in terms of securing a top-three seed and gaining 250 wins. But the biggest thing on my mind is that game Friday night. It has numerous postseason implications. Obviously, you get the bid to the semifinals in the league tournament, but historically, a two-seed clinches a postseason bid. I'm just grateful to Troy for allowing me to stick around this long and for the staff and players I've had over the years. Now, we look at limiting the 3-point game with Arkansas State and punch our ticket."
Comes Down to This
The Trojans and Red Wolves of Arkansas State will battle for the No. 2 seed and a bid into the Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals on Friday at 7 p.m. in Trojan Arena.
Sweep Stats
• For the 10th straight season, the Trojans will enter the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as a top 4 seed. It's also the eighth time in the last 10 seasons Troy secured a top-three seed.
• Troy responded to losing the rebound battle against South Alabama with a 53-27 win on the boards and 21 on the offensive end.
• Troy improved its record to 16-0, 12-0 SBC when scoring above 80 points with 86.
• Troy continued its best league record at home as it collected an eighth straight win for 8-0.
• Jenkins went 3-of-6 from behind the arc for her sixth game with 3-plus triples.
• Troy took over in the fourth quarter, outscoring Texas State 29-17 on 52.4 percent from the field and 60 percent from deep. Meanwhile, the Bobcats shot 37.5 percent on the floor and 0-of-5 behind the arc.
• With the victory, head coach Chanda Rigby scored her 250th career victory at Troy – the second coach in program history with 250-plus wins.
• The victory marked Troy's 10th straight over Texas State.
The victory sets the stage for Friday night against Arkansas State in Trojan Arena as the Trojans (19-11, 13-4 SBC) sit one game back from the Red Wolves for a No. 2 seed and bid into the semifinals of the SBC Tournament. The Bobcats (12-16, 6-11 SBC) fall into a two-way tie with Marshall for the 10-seed with a 10th straight loss to Troy.
Five players scored in double-figures for Troy, led by Emani Jenkins with 15 points off a 6-of-9 shooting performance, including three triples. For her 22nd game with 10-plus points, Zay Dyer followed Jenkins with 14 while being one rebound short of her 15th double-double. Brianna Jackson and Shaulana Wagner had 12 points apiece as the senior guard ended with nine rebounds and a team-high five assists – Briana Peguero was the final Trojan with double-digits (11) on an 8-of-8 performance at the line. Emma Imevbore also performed off the bench, rejecting a team-high three shots while nearing a double-double on eight points and 10 rebounds.
Ja'Mia Harris was the hero for Texas State, hitting nine of her 19 shots to be the only Bobcat with double-digit points (21). Outside her, the Bobcats shot 17-of-42 for 40 percent shooting and 45 points. Destiny Terrell performed on the defensive end with a team-high 10 rebounds and two blocks but also led Texas State with four turnovers. The Bobcats also struggled on the boards, managing 27 as opposed to Troy's 53.
One Step Back, Two Step Forwared
Texas State brought the margin down to one, 41-40, as it opened the third quarter on a 10-5 push when Blake Matthews hit the jumper in the paint. Wagner had the response for Troy as Leilani Guion found her in the corner, and she hit her sixth triple of the season, 44-40.
Imevbore rejected Texas State's next shot, allowing Peguero to hit a pair at the line before Jenkins drilled the step-back jumper for a 48-40 advantage with 5:19 left in the third. Sierra Dickson made one at the line, 48-41, before Troy continued an onslaught to bring the lead to 12, 53-41, off a fastbreak layup by Fortuna Ngnawo and three free throws from Imevbore (1) and Khila Morris (2).
The Bobcats made one last rally with 0:28 on the clock in the third when Morgan Hill swiped the ball, and Harris pulled up, 55-49. But Wagner was quick with the getback as she drove inside for the layup to end the quarter with a 57-49 lead.
For every shot Texas State had in the fourth, Troy had more, never allowing the margin to slip below eight with 7:45 left, 64-56, on a second-chance and-one by Jaylin Foster. From there, the Trojans outscored the Bobcats 22-10, starting with a 5-0 run from Jenkins to clinch at minimum a top-three seed in the league tournament off a 20-point victory, 86-66.
Foreshadowing
Troy got a hot start in the first 3:12 of the ballgame when Dyer earned the shooting foul with 9:46 on the clock and hit both at the line, 2-0. Harris responded with a triple, 3-2, to take the advantage as both sides went back and forth via six straight points from Dyer with 7:09 left in the opening 10 minutes, 6-5.
Troy bolstered the early advantage via Peguero, who drilled the triple through the contact and finished the four-point play, 10-5. Ngnawo followed with 5:48 left as she grabbed the defensive and offensive rebound for the tip-in layup, 12-5.
The Bobcats pulled back in, tying the game at 16 with 1:26 left in the first as Nicole Leff hit from deep off a Troy turnover. However, Dyer started a 10-1 run that would go into the first 4:29 of the second quarter when she got the assist from Ngnawo and finished the second-chance jumper for an 18-16 lead.
Terrell managed Texas State's only point of the run on a free throw as Guion got the final say of the first when she pulled up inside the paint and hit as time expired, 20-17. The Trojans held Texas State scoreless until 6:31 on the clock in the second as Dyer hit the tip-in layup, Guion had the second-chance pull-up, and Ashley Baez drove inside, 26-17.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"I'm very thankful to have won this victory at Trojan Arena. We looked slightly out of sync with our starters, so our bench came in and made a difference. Emma was massive for us when she came in, whether it was rejecting a shot or at least altering it. She completely cut out their chances inside. And Emani was lethal from deep. She was big with stretching the floor. All glory to God for the success that we've had here in terms of securing a top-three seed and gaining 250 wins. But the biggest thing on my mind is that game Friday night. It has numerous postseason implications. Obviously, you get the bid to the semifinals in the league tournament, but historically, a two-seed clinches a postseason bid. I'm just grateful to Troy for allowing me to stick around this long and for the staff and players I've had over the years. Now, we look at limiting the 3-point game with Arkansas State and punch our ticket."
Comes Down to This
The Trojans and Red Wolves of Arkansas State will battle for the No. 2 seed and a bid into the Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals on Friday at 7 p.m. in Trojan Arena.
Sweep Stats
• For the 10th straight season, the Trojans will enter the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as a top 4 seed. It's also the eighth time in the last 10 seasons Troy secured a top-three seed.
• Troy responded to losing the rebound battle against South Alabama with a 53-27 win on the boards and 21 on the offensive end.
• Troy improved its record to 16-0, 12-0 SBC when scoring above 80 points with 86.
• Troy continued its best league record at home as it collected an eighth straight win for 8-0.
• Jenkins went 3-of-6 from behind the arc for her sixth game with 3-plus triples.
• Troy took over in the fourth quarter, outscoring Texas State 29-17 on 52.4 percent from the field and 60 percent from deep. Meanwhile, the Bobcats shot 37.5 percent on the floor and 0-of-5 behind the arc.
• With the victory, head coach Chanda Rigby scored her 250th career victory at Troy – the second coach in program history with 250-plus wins.
• The victory marked Troy's 10th straight over Texas State.
Team Stats
TXST
TROY
FG%
.426
.444
3FG%
.214
.333
FT%
.688
.800
RB
27
53
TO
14
18
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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/ Basketball (W)Ashley Beverly Kelley - Troy University Sports Hall of Fame
Monday, April 28
Underdogs Untold: Title Ticket Punched
Friday, April 04
Chanda Rigby WNIT Championship Press Conference
Friday, April 04
Chanda Rigby Postgame Press Conference - Illinois State
Thursday, April 03