Troy University Athletics
Saturday, March 8
Pensacola, Fla.
2:30 p.m.
Troy University
vs
Marshall
No. 3 Troy Set for Quarterfinal Round Against No. 11 Marshall
3/7/2025 4:17:00 PM | Basketball (W)
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Troy women's basketball opens its Sun Belt Conference Tournament journey with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 11 Marshall on Saturday, March 8, at 2:30 p.m. in the Pensacola Bay Center.
Head coach Chanda Rigby and the Trojans (19-12, 13-5 SBC) enter the tournament with hopes of their fourth SBC title and first since 2020-21. They look to play Marshall (15-19, 6-12 SBC) for the first time in the SBC Tournament, sitting at 2-0 overall against the Thundering Herd.
Game Information
Location: Pensacola, Fla. – Pensacola Bay Center
The Matchup: No. 3 Troy (19-12, 13-5 SBC) vs. No. 11 Marshall (15-19, 6-12 SBC)
When: Saturday, March 8 – 2:30 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Resume the Dynasty
With hopes of their first title since 2020-21 and fourth overall, the Troy women's basketball enters the SBC Tournament where they are 15-15 overall. In the last 10 games, the Trojans are 10-5 with two title runs. As they enter the quarterfinal round, the Trojans look to end a two-game losing streak in the respective round.
Last year in the tournament, Troy narrowly lost a 67-65 contest with Louisiana. Leilani Guion, Zay Dyer and Shaulana Wagner all checked into the ballgame as the lone trio with tournament experience. Together, the trio notched nine points, 12 rebounds (10 from Dyer) and two assists.
Troy ended the regular season as the No. 3 team in the conference, going 6-4 in its final 10 regular season games. Through 31 games, the Trojans sat atop both the conference and country in rebounding with 49 per game – Troy also led the nation in defensive rebounds with 32.8. The Trojans also led the league in assists (15.4), rebound margin (plus-11.5) and scoring (78.7).
Junior forward Zay Dyer led the Trojans to the No. 3 seed as an All-Sun Belt First Team honoree. Dyer led the conference with 10.5 rebounds and 14 double-doubles. The Atlanta native also shined on the scoring column, leading the Trojans with 13.5 points on the fourth-best field goal percentage in the conference at 44.5. Her 325 rebounds through 2024-25 also sits fifth in Troy D-I history and ninth overall.
Cinderella of the SBC
Marshall entered the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 11 seed and rolled through No. 14 South Alabama, 73-59, No. 10 Texas State, 68-62, No. 7 Louisiana, 48-46 and No. 6 App State, 75-66. One year removed from sweeping the regular season and tournament championship, the Thundering Herd won three of their final four regular season games to end with momentum.
The Thundering Herd are familiar with the 3-point game as they rank second in 3-point attempts (28.7) and 3-pointers made (9.2) for a 32.2 percentage from behind the arc. Marshall is led by All-Sun Belt First Team member Aislynn Hayes, who leads the league in points with 17.6. The SBC leader in scoring got there via a 37.5 shooting percentage, including 30 percent from deep and 73.4 from the line.
Quarterfinal Numbers
• Saturday matchup with Marshall marks the first meeting in the SBC Tournament.
• Dyer earned All-Sun Belt First Team with a league-leading 10.5 rebounds and 14 double-doubles – she became the ninth player in head coach Chanda Rigby's tenure to earn first team. The junior forward also ranked in the top 10 for the SBC in blocks (0.94), field goal percentage (44.5) and total points (417).
• In the quarterfinal round of the SBC Tournament, the Trojans are 5-8 with losses in their last two.
• Troy is 15-15 overall in the SBC Tournament, splitting the last 10 games (5-5) and sitting at 10-5 in the previous 15 – the Trojans' last win came in the semifinals of 2021-22 to Little Rock, 62-59.
• The Trojans enter the SBC Tournament as three-time tournament champions, with the last coming in 2020-21 – Troy also went back-to-back in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
• Single-Season Records to Watch: Emani Jenkins – total triples (one from 10th in D-I, three from 10th overall – 54) | Briana Peguero – free throw percentage (first in D-I and overall – 91.2) | Zay Dyer – total rebounds (ninth overall, fifth in D-I – 325), average rebounds (fifth in D-I – 10.5) | Shaulana Wagner – total assists (sixth in D-I, tied-ninth overall – 152), average assists (third in D-I, fifth overall – 6.6) | Brianna Jackson – total blocks (seventh overall and D-I – 48)
• Career Records to Watch: Leilani Guion – 3-point percentage (eighth in D-I, ninth overall - .351) | Zay Dyer – average rebounds (third in D-I, sixth overall – 9.6) | Shaulana Wagner – average assists (first in D-I, tied-second overall – 5.6)
• Dyer (22) and Jackson (20) finished with 20-plus points against Arkansas State, 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 against the Red Wolves, leading the Trojans in either scoring or assists in all 23 games played.
• Despite the loss to Arkansas State while scoring 85 points, Troy remains 16-1, 12-1 SBC while scoring 80-plus points.
• Jackson rejected six shots against Arkansas State 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.
• With the victory over Texas State, head coach Chanda Rigby scored her 250th career victory at Troy – the second coach in program history with 250-plus wins.
• Dyer leads the SBC in double-doubles with 14 – she also ranks 20th in the nation. No. 5 also holds the top spot in rebounds at 10.5 and ranks 14th nationally.
• Head coach Chanda Rigby (158-72) secured her 150th career Sun Belt Conference victory over Georgia State. The feat has only been done twice before in league history via Brian Boyer (Arkansas State – 193) and Joe Foley (Little Rock – 231).
• Jenkins has hit multiple 3-pointers in 15 of her last 19 games (41 total), including six games with three-plus triples.
• Ashley Baez has finished with double-digits in 20-of-31 starts and swiped multiple steals in 16-of-31, including 53 in the last 27 games.
• In 18 of her last 23 games, Wagner's finished with 5-plus assists. She's collected 5-plus assists 33 times in her Troy career.
• Dyer scored 10-plus points in 23 of her 30 starts.
• Jenkins and Peguero rank in the top 15 for league play 3-pointers made, tied for fifth (2.1) and tied for 13th (1.8), respectively.
• Peguero is 33-of-83 from deep in the last 18 games, averaging 1.8 makes per game on 39.8 percent shooting.
• In league play, the Trojans rank in the top 5 on shooting from the field (second – 43.9) and at the charity stripe (fourth – 73.4).
• Guion has made at least one triple in 16 of her last 24 games (24 total).
• Jackson has rejected a shot in 17 of the last 23 games (38 total) to rank second in the SBC with 1.55 blocks per game – Jackson ranks second in total blocks at 48.
• Jackson's 20 points versus Arkansas State marked her 10th double-digit scoring performance in the last 12 games.
• In all six games where Jackson had double-digit rebounds, she claimed a double-double.
• With the victory over Old Dominion, Rigby has now defeated every current Sun Belt opponent.
• Troy ended with its best league record at home at 8-1.
• The victory marked Troy's 10th straight over Texas State.
• Through 31 games, Troy remains the premiere team in the country for rebounding, leading the pack with 49.0 per game.
• Troy leads the league in rebound margin (plus-11.5), defensive rebounds (32.8), total rebounds (49.0) and scoring offense (78.7) – it ranks 22nd in the country for scoring.
• Morris ended with a team-high and career-high in steals with five over USA. She became the third active Trojan and first to have 5-plus steals since Peguero had five against Oakwood on Dec. 4, 2024.
• Morris erupted in 27 minutes off the bench with 16 points on 5-of-5 from the field against ULM to become the first player since La'Tia Fils-Aime' (7-of-7 – Thomas) on Nov. 21, 2016, to shoot 100 percent (min. five shots).
• Jenkins tied for second in Troy D-I history with 19 other players for the most triples in a single game at six at Texas State – she's the first since Jasmine Robinson at Georgia Southern (Feb. 5, 2021).
• Troy's 14 triples against the Bobcats marked the most for Troy since it hit 15 against Georgia Southern on Feb. 16, 2019. Thursday was also the 52nd time in Rigby's tenure that her Trojans made double-digit triples.
• The 47-point victory over Texas State marked the largest in program history for league road games. The previous high was 41 points, 93-52, at Louisiana on Feb. 25, 2009.
• Jacksons's 22-rebound performance against the Monarchs tied Felmas Koranga (March 8, 2021) and Caitlyn Ramirez (March 9, 2017) for the second-most rebounds in a D-I Troy single-game.
• On her birthday, Ngnawo performed with a career-high 25 points, tying Dyer for the most points by a Trojan in 2024-25 – her first career 20-plus point game becomes the sixth active Trojan with such a feat.
• Dyer earned Sun Belt Player of the Week (Jan. 7), averaging 18 points, 16.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in wins against Coastal Carolina and Marshall - she followed it with back-to-back awards (Jan. 14) on 20 points, 16.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks over App State and Georgia State.
• No. 5 became the first Trojan to go back-to-back with SBC POTW awards since Kayla Robinson (Feb. 5, Feb. 12) in 2017-18.
• 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.
• The 2024-25 roster contains zero underclassmen, with six as seniors and six as juniors.
Head coach Chanda Rigby and the Trojans (19-12, 13-5 SBC) enter the tournament with hopes of their fourth SBC title and first since 2020-21. They look to play Marshall (15-19, 6-12 SBC) for the first time in the SBC Tournament, sitting at 2-0 overall against the Thundering Herd.
Game Information
Location: Pensacola, Fla. – Pensacola Bay Center
The Matchup: No. 3 Troy (19-12, 13-5 SBC) vs. No. 11 Marshall (15-19, 6-12 SBC)
When: Saturday, March 8 – 2:30 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Resume the Dynasty
With hopes of their first title since 2020-21 and fourth overall, the Troy women's basketball enters the SBC Tournament where they are 15-15 overall. In the last 10 games, the Trojans are 10-5 with two title runs. As they enter the quarterfinal round, the Trojans look to end a two-game losing streak in the respective round.
Last year in the tournament, Troy narrowly lost a 67-65 contest with Louisiana. Leilani Guion, Zay Dyer and Shaulana Wagner all checked into the ballgame as the lone trio with tournament experience. Together, the trio notched nine points, 12 rebounds (10 from Dyer) and two assists.
Troy ended the regular season as the No. 3 team in the conference, going 6-4 in its final 10 regular season games. Through 31 games, the Trojans sat atop both the conference and country in rebounding with 49 per game – Troy also led the nation in defensive rebounds with 32.8. The Trojans also led the league in assists (15.4), rebound margin (plus-11.5) and scoring (78.7).
Junior forward Zay Dyer led the Trojans to the No. 3 seed as an All-Sun Belt First Team honoree. Dyer led the conference with 10.5 rebounds and 14 double-doubles. The Atlanta native also shined on the scoring column, leading the Trojans with 13.5 points on the fourth-best field goal percentage in the conference at 44.5. Her 325 rebounds through 2024-25 also sits fifth in Troy D-I history and ninth overall.
Cinderella of the SBC
Marshall entered the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 11 seed and rolled through No. 14 South Alabama, 73-59, No. 10 Texas State, 68-62, No. 7 Louisiana, 48-46 and No. 6 App State, 75-66. One year removed from sweeping the regular season and tournament championship, the Thundering Herd won three of their final four regular season games to end with momentum.
The Thundering Herd are familiar with the 3-point game as they rank second in 3-point attempts (28.7) and 3-pointers made (9.2) for a 32.2 percentage from behind the arc. Marshall is led by All-Sun Belt First Team member Aislynn Hayes, who leads the league in points with 17.6. The SBC leader in scoring got there via a 37.5 shooting percentage, including 30 percent from deep and 73.4 from the line.
Quarterfinal Numbers
• Saturday matchup with Marshall marks the first meeting in the SBC Tournament.
• Dyer earned All-Sun Belt First Team with a league-leading 10.5 rebounds and 14 double-doubles – she became the ninth player in head coach Chanda Rigby's tenure to earn first team. The junior forward also ranked in the top 10 for the SBC in blocks (0.94), field goal percentage (44.5) and total points (417).
• In the quarterfinal round of the SBC Tournament, the Trojans are 5-8 with losses in their last two.
• Troy is 15-15 overall in the SBC Tournament, splitting the last 10 games (5-5) and sitting at 10-5 in the previous 15 – the Trojans' last win came in the semifinals of 2021-22 to Little Rock, 62-59.
• The Trojans enter the SBC Tournament as three-time tournament champions, with the last coming in 2020-21 – Troy also went back-to-back in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
• Single-Season Records to Watch: Emani Jenkins – total triples (one from 10th in D-I, three from 10th overall – 54) | Briana Peguero – free throw percentage (first in D-I and overall – 91.2) | Zay Dyer – total rebounds (ninth overall, fifth in D-I – 325), average rebounds (fifth in D-I – 10.5) | Shaulana Wagner – total assists (sixth in D-I, tied-ninth overall – 152), average assists (third in D-I, fifth overall – 6.6) | Brianna Jackson – total blocks (seventh overall and D-I – 48)
• Career Records to Watch: Leilani Guion – 3-point percentage (eighth in D-I, ninth overall - .351) | Zay Dyer – average rebounds (third in D-I, sixth overall – 9.6) | Shaulana Wagner – average assists (first in D-I, tied-second overall – 5.6)
• Dyer (22) and Jackson (20) finished with 20-plus points against Arkansas State, 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 against the Red Wolves, leading the Trojans in either scoring or assists in all 23 games played.
• Despite the loss to Arkansas State while scoring 85 points, Troy remains 16-1, 12-1 SBC while scoring 80-plus points.
• Jackson rejected six shots against Arkansas State 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.
• With the victory over Texas State, head coach Chanda Rigby scored her 250th career victory at Troy – the second coach in program history with 250-plus wins.
• Dyer leads the SBC in double-doubles with 14 – she also ranks 20th in the nation. No. 5 also holds the top spot in rebounds at 10.5 and ranks 14th nationally.
• Head coach Chanda Rigby (158-72) secured her 150th career Sun Belt Conference victory over Georgia State. The feat has only been done twice before in league history via Brian Boyer (Arkansas State – 193) and Joe Foley (Little Rock – 231).
• Jenkins has hit multiple 3-pointers in 15 of her last 19 games (41 total), including six games with three-plus triples.
• Ashley Baez has finished with double-digits in 20-of-31 starts and swiped multiple steals in 16-of-31, including 53 in the last 27 games.
• In 18 of her last 23 games, Wagner's finished with 5-plus assists. She's collected 5-plus assists 33 times in her Troy career.
• Dyer scored 10-plus points in 23 of her 30 starts.
• Jenkins and Peguero rank in the top 15 for league play 3-pointers made, tied for fifth (2.1) and tied for 13th (1.8), respectively.
• Peguero is 33-of-83 from deep in the last 18 games, averaging 1.8 makes per game on 39.8 percent shooting.
• In league play, the Trojans rank in the top 5 on shooting from the field (second – 43.9) and at the charity stripe (fourth – 73.4).
• Guion has made at least one triple in 16 of her last 24 games (24 total).
• Jackson has rejected a shot in 17 of the last 23 games (38 total) to rank second in the SBC with 1.55 blocks per game – Jackson ranks second in total blocks at 48.
• Jackson's 20 points versus Arkansas State marked her 10th double-digit scoring performance in the last 12 games.
• In all six games where Jackson had double-digit rebounds, she claimed a double-double.
• With the victory over Old Dominion, Rigby has now defeated every current Sun Belt opponent.
• Troy ended with its best league record at home at 8-1.
• The victory marked Troy's 10th straight over Texas State.
• Through 31 games, Troy remains the premiere team in the country for rebounding, leading the pack with 49.0 per game.
• Troy leads the league in rebound margin (plus-11.5), defensive rebounds (32.8), total rebounds (49.0) and scoring offense (78.7) – it ranks 22nd in the country for scoring.
• Morris ended with a team-high and career-high in steals with five over USA. She became the third active Trojan and first to have 5-plus steals since Peguero had five against Oakwood on Dec. 4, 2024.
• Morris erupted in 27 minutes off the bench with 16 points on 5-of-5 from the field against ULM to become the first player since La'Tia Fils-Aime' (7-of-7 – Thomas) on Nov. 21, 2016, to shoot 100 percent (min. five shots).
• Jenkins tied for second in Troy D-I history with 19 other players for the most triples in a single game at six at Texas State – she's the first since Jasmine Robinson at Georgia Southern (Feb. 5, 2021).
• Troy's 14 triples against the Bobcats marked the most for Troy since it hit 15 against Georgia Southern on Feb. 16, 2019. Thursday was also the 52nd time in Rigby's tenure that her Trojans made double-digit triples.
• The 47-point victory over Texas State marked the largest in program history for league road games. The previous high was 41 points, 93-52, at Louisiana on Feb. 25, 2009.
• Jacksons's 22-rebound performance against the Monarchs tied Felmas Koranga (March 8, 2021) and Caitlyn Ramirez (March 9, 2017) for the second-most rebounds in a D-I Troy single-game.
• On her birthday, Ngnawo performed with a career-high 25 points, tying Dyer for the most points by a Trojan in 2024-25 – her first career 20-plus point game becomes the sixth active Trojan with such a feat.
• Dyer earned Sun Belt Player of the Week (Jan. 7), averaging 18 points, 16.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in wins against Coastal Carolina and Marshall - she followed it with back-to-back awards (Jan. 14) on 20 points, 16.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks over App State and Georgia State.
• No. 5 became the first Trojan to go back-to-back with SBC POTW awards since Kayla Robinson (Feb. 5, Feb. 12) in 2017-18.
• 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.
• The 2024-25 roster contains zero underclassmen, with six as seniors and six as juniors.
Players Mentioned
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