Women’s Basketball Concludes Road Trip in Hattiesburg

Saturday, January 3

Hattiesburg, Miss.

2 p.m.

Troy University

Southern Miss

Women’s Basketball Concludes Road Trip in Hattiesburg

1/2/2026 12:46:00 PM | Basketball (W)

Watch Live Listen Live Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Troy concludes its four-game road trip in the Reed Green Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 2 p.m. against Southern Miss.

The Trojans (11-2, 2-0 SBC) enter the matchup on their best start in program history, seeking the first 3-0 start to league play since 2019-20 against the Lady Eagles (9-5, 2-1 SBC).

Game Information
Location: Hattiesburg, Miss. – Reed Green Coliseum
Matchup: Troy (11-2, 2-0 SBC) vs. Southern Miss (9-5, 2-1 SBC)
When: Saturday, Jan. 3 – 2 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Stats: troytrojans.com/livestats

Dominance Continues into 2026
Troy opened the new year with an 80-54 victory over Louisiana, earning its fourth win in the Cajundome over the last five seasons. The win marked Troy's first 2-0 start to Sun Belt play since 2019-20. The Trojan defense held the Ragin' Cajuns to 28.8 percent from the floor and 11.1 percent from deep in the victory. They also outrebounded them 60-37.

Troy swept the Lady Eagles in 2024-25 with a 70-45 win in Hattiesburg and an 86-59 victory in Trojan Arena. The last time Troy entered Reed Green Coliseum, Fortuna Ngnawo (10), Ashley Baez (11) and Emani Jenkins (13) broke into double-figures for scoring. Troy's defense also held Southern Miss to 27.1 percent shooting and outrebounded the opposition 58-28. Troy is 3-3 all-time against Southern Miss, with its first-ever win in Reed Green Coliseum coming last season.

Despite her streak of 15 straight games in double-digits for scoring ending with eight points against Louisiana, Ngnawo still leads the Trojans in scoring (14.8), field goal percentage (47.7), steals (1.4) and blocks (1.3). She is the fifth-highest scorer in the league on the third-highest percentage. The senior forward also has five double-doubles to sit third in the SBC and 29^th in the country, trailing fellow Trojan Zay Dyer, who leads the conference with six.

Scouting Southern Miss
Southern Miss fell to Arkansas State on Thursday night, 91-83, for its first conference loss. Before Thursday, the Lady Eagles beat South Alabama and Louisiana to end 2025. First-year head coach Missy Bilderback leads the Lady Eagles and hold the second-highest scoring offense in the SBC at 79.1, trailing just the Trojans at 84.9. Sakyia White leads Southern Miss with eight rebounds per game, while sitting second in scoring at 12.1 points.

Notables
• Troy looks to start league play 3-0 for the first time since 2019-20, when it later won the regular season title.
• The Trojans are off to their best start in program history at 11-2 overall.
• The Trojans rank fourth in the Mid-Major polls and 64^th in the NCAA Net Rankings.
• Emani Jenkins ranks No. 1 in career 3-point percentage at 39.7. She also currently holds the best single-season shooting percentage from deep at 46.7.
• Troy swept Southern Miss in their meetings last season to tie the all-time series 3-3. The Trojans also claimed their first-ever win in the Reed Green Coliseum last season on Feb. 1.
• Fortuna Ngnawo sits fifth in the conference with 14.8 points per game on the third-highest field goal percentage at 47.7. She also leads Troy in steals (1.4) and blocks (1.3).
• Troy enters Saturday's matchup as the third-highest ranked team in total rebounds for D-I at 49.0.
• At 5-10, Shakirah Edwards broke into double-digits for blocks this season, with her 10^th block coming in the second quarter. She has a block in six games with multiple in three.
• Rachel Leggett scored her first career 3-pointer as a Trojan after starting 0-of-9 this season, claiming her fifth game in double-figures (10).
• Detavia Salter tied her career-high with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while rejecting a career-high four shots.
• Despite her streak of 15 straight games in double-digits for scoring ending with eight points, Fortuna Ngnawo finished with double-figures for rebounds (10) for the sixth time of 2025-26.
• Zay Dyer leads the Sun Belt in defensive rebounds (7.6), offensive rebounds (4.4) and total rebounds (12.0), ranking 16^th, ninth and third nationally, respectively.
• Troy enters the matchup against Southern Miss as the conference leader in assists (15.9), free throw attempts (21.5), free throws made (15.1), rebound margin (plus-11.3), defensive rebounds (31.9), offensive rebounds (17.1), total rebounds (49.0), scoring margin (plus-18.8), scoring (84.9) and winning percentage (84.6).
• With her 43 3-pointers (second in SBC), Emani Jenkins averages 3.3 per game to sit second in the SBC. She ranks ninth and fifth in the nation, respectively.
• Zay Dyer has scored in double-figures in 22 of her last 26 games.
• Emani Jenkins has hit 38 threes in her last 10 games to average 3.8 per game. She's earned three or more 3-pointers in eight games in 2025-26.
• Saniya Jackson comes off her first career start against No. 24 Alabama, ending with four points, two rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes.
• Jenkins' 10 threes against Oakwood ties four players for the most in a single game in 2025-26.
• Emani Jenkins hit 10 threes to break the all-time single-game record at Troy.
• Troy broke its single-game records for points (132), 3-pointers (20) and assists (36) in the win over Oakwood.
• For the third straight season, the Trojans were crowned champions of an in-season tournament: Austin Peay Christmas Classic (2023), Great Alaska Shootout (2024) and Resorts World Las Vegas Classic (2025).
• Zay Dyer joined the 1,000-point club against Missouri with 7:01 left in the second quarter on a jumper.
• Fortuna Ngnawo became the first 2025-26 Sun Belt Player of the Week on Nov. 11, averaging 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, four blocks and 1.5 steals in the first two games.
• Troy reached the WNIT Championship game last season, falling to Buffalo after a historic run.
• The Trojans led the nation in rebounds per game (49.05) for the seventh consecutive year and led the Sun Belt in scoring (80.1), blocks (4.7) and assists (15.4) in 2024-25.