Fourth Quarter Rally Falls Short to Arkansas State, Troy Awarded No. 3 Seed and Quarterfinal Round Bid

Friday, February 28

Troy, Ala.

7 p.m.

Troy University

19-12,13-5Sun Belt

Arkansas State

19-10,15-3Sun Belt

Arkansas St.

Troy

Fourth Quarter Rally Falls Short to Arkansas State, Troy Awarded No. 3 Seed and Quarterfinal Round Bid

2/28/2025 10:48:00 PM | Basketball (W)

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Troy women's basketball rebounded from down 13 in the fourth quarter to bring the deficit to within one Friday night in Trojan Arena, but Arkansas State hit the dagger from deep with 0:07 left to win the battle for the No. 2 seed, 89-85.

Despite the loss, the Trojans (19-12, 13-5 SBC) battled for the No. 3 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, awaiting their opponent for a quarterfinal round matchup on Saturday, March 8 at 2:30 p.m. With the victory, Arkansas State earned the No. 2 seed and will play the winner of Troy's quarterfinal matchup for a ticket to the championship game.

Zay Dyer and Brianna Jackson erupted on both ends of the court, combining for 42 points, 17 rebounds and 10 blocks. Dyer led the way in scoring with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, a team-high nine rebounds and four blocks to boost. Jackson rejected six blocks to tie her career-high while scoring 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting and seizing eight boards. Shaulana Wagner played passer with 13 assists to lead the Trojans – she had seven rebounds and a block. Briana Peguero and Leilani Guion also ended with double-figures in the scoring column with 17 and 10, respectively.

Again, the Red Wolves were elite from behind the arc, with 15 makes coming from Kennedie Montue (4), Annaliese Griffin (3), Shaunae Brown (2), Crislyn Rose (2), Kyanna Morgan (2), Zyion Shannon (1) and Mimi McCollister (1). Outside the deep game, Wynter Rogers went 8-of-11 inside the arc to lead Arkansas State with 16 points. Montue led Arkansas State off the bench for the second straight game with 15 points, two steals, three rebounds and a block.

Down to the Wire
After Troy took its lone lead of the game in the second quarter, Arkansas State fired back to end the half, outscoring Troy 10-3 for a 52-47 advantage into the break. Peguero opened the second half by intercepting the pass from Brown and going coast-to-coast, 52-49. But the rest of the third went to the Red Wolves, who outscored Troy 23-17 for an 11-point lead, 75-64, going into the last 10 minutes of the regular season.

Shannon hit a pair at the line to start the final quarter, 77-64, before Troy opened the rally on a layup by Jackson, 77-66, with 8:26 left. Jackson continued with six straight points over the next minute to cut the deficit to seven, 77-70. The 12-0 run went on through Guion after Troy forced a shot clock violation, and Wagner found her inside, 77-74 – the run finished with Dyer inside, 77-76.

Arkansas State returned the advantage to six, 84-78, with 3:15 on the clock on a Rogers layup off a Troy turnover. Again, the Trojans fought back to make it a one-point game with 2:30 left, 84-83 when Emani Jenkins and Peguero hit a trio of free throws, and Wagner capitalized off a travel on the other end.

Rogers hit a pivotal jumper with 0:47 on the clock, 86-83, and Jackson went to work inside to cut it within one, 86-85, 0:12 later. Arkansas State returned to the 3-point game with 0:07 left as Griffin hit the dagger from deep, 89-85, and clinched the No. 2 seed.

Rally to the Lead
Arkansas State controlled the first quarter with a 31-16 advantage through the opening 10 minutes, hitting six triples on 10 attempts. However, the second quarter was all Troy when Dyer and Jackson combined to cut the margin to 10, 31-21, with 9:18 on the clock. First, Dyer made her 12^th point on a layup before Jackson bodied the Red Wolf defense for an and-one.

Both sides exchanged blows for ASU to hold a 39-26 lead when Rogers made a layup. Again, the post presence of Dyer and Jackson went back-to-back-to-back inside to cut the margin to seven, 39-32, with 5:22 remaining in the half. Wagner finished the 8-0 burst with 4:59 left when Jackson rejected Shannon's shot and Dyer found her on the fastbreak lay-in, 39-34.

A scoreless drought for the Red Wolves ended with 3:45 on the clock when McColister hit a triple, 42-34. Peguero had the response via a four-point play 0:10 later, 42-38, hitting the trey from the wing and finishing at the line.

Jenkins kept the 3-point game in Troy's favor as Guion found her behind the arc, and she pulled up to cut the margin to one, 42-41. Troy polished off a 22-7 run with another triple from Peguero. Again, Guion found her Trojan teammate behind the 3-point line, and the senior guard from Houston hit her second triple to take a 44-42 lead.

Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"It wasn't the outcome we wanted in Trojan Arena on the scoreboard. But we made a ton of improvements throughout the game. We were down on several occasions and fought back, which says a lot about this team's character. We're still getting better and are ready for the tournament. We practiced all week on breaking their pressure, and Wagner, being the player she is, found a way to pass over the press and find players on the other end. I feel good about the momentum we have and how we figured out ways to play Arkansas State. We had the upper hand in a lot of moments. The toughest thing is winning that first game in Pensacola. It's difficult to go in cold. Today was different. These players were dialed in beyond belief and after the game, these players were beyond emotional. Now, we need to weapon that emotion and tone it down so we can focus on making a run to the title."

Tournament Time
The Trojans await the winner of App State and the winner of game six for a quarterfinal matchup on Saturday, March 8, at 2:30 p.m. in the Pensacola Bay Center.

Finale Stats
• Dyer (22) and Jackson (20) finished with 20-plus points, marking the first time since App State on Jan. 9 that two players finished with 20 or more.
• Troy enters as the No. 3 seed in the tournament for the fourth time in head coach Chanda Rigby's tenure – the Trojans won the SBC tournament as the No. 3 seed in 2016-17.
• Peguero finished the regular season with the best free throw percentage in program history at 91.2 (62-of-68).
• Wagner finished with 13 assists to end the regular season, leading the Trojans in either scoring or assists in all 23 games played.
• Despite the loss while scoring 85 points, Troy remains 16-1, 12-1 SBC while scoring 80-plus points.
• Troy dominated the points in the battle 58-24 en route to winning the rebound battle 47-42 (15 offensive).
• Jackson rejected six shots to tie her career-high set at Buffalo to open the regular season, ending the regular season with the seventh-most in a Troy single season.