Troy Hosts North Texas in WNIT Sweet 16 on Thursday

TROY, Ala. – Troy's second consecutive deep run into the WNIT continues Thursday evening when the Trojans host North Texas in the Sweet 16 inside Trojan Arena at 6 p.m. Troy, which advanced to the Fab 4 in last year's tournament, defeated Chattanooga on Monday.

The winner of Thursday night's matchup will take on the winner of Washington State and North Dakota State in the Great 8.

Game Information
Location: Troy, Ala. – Trojan Arena
The Matchup: Troy (21-13, 13-5 SBC) vs. North Texas (25-8, 15-3 American)
When: Thursday, March 27 – 6 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Tickets: TroyTrojans.com/tickets

Troy outscored Chattanooga 50-35 in the second half, including doubling up the Mocs, 28-14, in the third quarter to pick up its fourth victory over its last five outings in the WNIT.

Zay Dyer led the Trojans with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Fortuna Ngnawo added 17 points and nine rebounds to pace five Trojans in double-figures on the evening.

Troy has played well inside the confines of Trojan Arena this season, posting an 11-2 mark and stretching that to 22-7 mark the last two years.

North Texas used a 20-0 run in the second quarter to pull away from UT Arlington en route to a 78-67 victory over the Mavericks in its second round victory on Monday. Like the Trojans, the Mean Green earned a bye past the first round of the tournament.

UNT leads the all-time series by a 10-4 margin, but the two schools have not met since the Mean Green left the Sun Belt following the 2013 season. The Mean Green have already set a program record for wins, with 25 on the season, and are led by Tommisha Lampkin's 16.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest.

Notable
• Troy is 4-3 all-time in the WNIT and 3-3 inside Trojan Arena.

• Briana Peguero enters the contest with Troy's best single-season free throw percentage in program history; she has connected on 90.1 percent of her attempts this season (73-of-81) and has made 24 of her last 26 attempts.

• With Troy's victory over Texas State on Feb. 26, head coach Chanda Rigby recorded her 250th career victory at Troy – the second coach in program history with 250-plus wins.

• Zay Dyer leads the Sun Belt and ranks 15^th nationally with 16 double-doubles on the season; she scored a team-best 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in the second round victory over Chattanooga.

• Zay Dyer leads the Sun Belt rank ranks 17^th nationally, averaging 10.3 rebounds per game.

• Shaulana Wagner has led the Trojans in either scoring or assists in all 26 games played; she had a team-best eighth assists in the victory over Chattanooga.

• Emani Jenkins has hit multiple 3-pointers in 16 of her last 22 games (46 total), including seven games with three-plus triples. She went 0-for-4 from deep against the Mocs.

• Ashley Baez has scored in double-figures in 21-of-32 starts and recorded multiple steals in 17-of-32 starts; she added to both those totals against Chattanooga with 13 points and four steals.

• Shaulana Wagner has recorded 5-plus steals in 21 of her last 26 games and 36 times in her Troy career.

• Zay Dyer has scored 10-plus points in 26 of her 33 starts.

• Briana Peguero is shooting 38.1 percent (37-of-97) from deep in the her last 21games.

• Leilani Guion has made at least one 3-pointer in 19 of her last 27 games.

• Brianna Jackson ranks second in the Sun Belt and 48^th nationally, averaging 1.62 blocks per game; she has blocked a shot in 20 of her last 26 games, including two against Chattanooga.

• Troy leads the country, averaging 49.29 rebounds per game, while ranking second in defensive rebounds (33.1) and third in rebound margin (11.4) and sixth in offensive rebounds (16.2).

• Troy enters the WNIT Sweet 16 leading the Sun Belt in assists (15.4), rebound margin (11.4), defensive rebounds (33.1), total rebounds (49.29) and scoring offense (78.7); Troy ranks 18^th in scoring offense.

• Shaulana Wagner became the first D-I player in Troy women's basketball history to record a triple-double on 12 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.

Troy Hosts North Texas in WNIT Sweet 16 on Thursday

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Players Mentioned

Ashley Baez

Zay Dyer

Leilani Guion

Brianna Jackson

Emani Jenkins

Fortuna Ngnawo

Briana Peguero

Shaulana Wagner

Troy University Athletics