Women’s Basketball Fires a 21-Point Comeback Over Marshall; Rigby Claims 500th Collegiate Win

Wednesday, January 28

Huntington, W. Va.

5 p.m.

Troy University

17-4,8-2Sun Belt

Marshall

17-6,8-3Sun Belt

Troy

Marshall

Women’s Basketball Fires a 21-Point Comeback Over Marshall; Rigby Claims 500th Collegiate Win

1/28/2026 9:18:00 PM | Basketball (W)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Trailing by 21 points with 44 seconds left in the second quarter, the Troy women's basketball program stormed back to defeat Marshall, 85-82, on Wednesday night in the Cam Henderson Center and claim head coach Chanda Rigby's 500^th collegiate victory.

The Trojans (17-4, 8-2 SBC) remain a perfect 4-0 against the Thundering Herd (17-6, 8-3 SBC) and jump to sole possession of third in the league standings before Thursday's slate of games.

Ashley Baez scored all 18 of her points in the second half with four 3-pointers, including the go-ahead three with 57 seconds left. Zay Dyer and Fortuna Ngnawo claimed double-doubles as Dyer finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Ngnawo had her fourth 20-plus point game (21) with 12 rebounds. Rachel Leggett scored all 10 of her points in the second half with a team-high three steals. After shooting 27.3 percent in the first half, the Trojans shot 61.8 percent in the second, including 72.2 percent in the third quarter, to come back from down 20 at the break.

Timaya Lewis-Eutsey had a 33-point, 10-assist, 7-rebound, 3-steal and 2-block performance for the Thundering Herd. Meredith Maier (12) and Ni'Kiah Chesterfield (14) also ended with double-digit scoring performances. The Thundering Herd committed eight turnovers in the first 12 minutes of the second half to allow the Trojans back. They also went from shooting 55.3 percent in the first half to 35.7 percent in the second.

Comeback to 500 Wins
Marshall struck first in the fourth quarter, but Troy followed with a fastbreak layup for Dyer, back-to-back 10-second violations by Marshall and a second-chance layup for Leggett to make it a one-point game, 67-66, with 8:08 left.

The Thundering Herd brought their advantage back to seven, 73-66, with 6:57 left before Kamesha Moore drilled the 3-pointer and Dyer stole the ball and finished with the fastbreak layup to bring the margin back to two, 73-71, with 5:39 on the clock.

Troy managed to tie the game twice over the next three minutes on a layup for Ngnawo (75-75) and a 3-pointer for Baez (78-78). Ngnawo gave Troy its first lead of the ballgame with 1:57 remaining as she rejected Marshall's shot and scored on the other end, 80-78.

An and-one for Lewis-Eutsey reclaimed the lead for Marshall, 81-80, but Dyer tied the game at 81 with a free throw. After a traveling violation, Leggett found Baez on the wing, and she hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 57 seconds left.

Marshall's Lewis-Eutsey brought Troy's lead to two, 84-82, with a free throw at the 9:06 mark and multiple turnovers gave Timberlynn Yeast a chance to tie the game at the charity stripe with 15 seconds left. Yeast missed both, forcing Marshall to intentionally foul. With four seconds left, Ngnawo went 1-of-2 at the line, 85-82. Marshall had one last chance with Maier from deep, but it fell short as Troy completed the 21-point comeback.

Spark the Comeback
The Thundering Herd outshot the Trojans 55.3 to 27.3 to hold a 20-point lead into the break, 52-32. Immediately into the second half, the Trojans sparked a comeback as back-to-back-to-back turnovers for the Thundering Herd led to a second-chance jumper for Leggett, a 3-pointer for Emani Jenkins and a layup for Baez. Another Baez layup capped off the 9-0 run in the first three minutes of the third quarter.

Both sides exchanged buckets until Leggett scored back-to-back for Troy, including a steal-and-score to cut the margin to 11, 59-48, with 4:25 on the clock. After Marshall scored on its next possession, Troy launched another 7-0 run with five points from Ngnawo and a jumper for Leggett to cut the margin to six, 61-55, at the 7:31 mark.

Another exchange of buckets led to a 5-0 burst for Troy to cut the margin to three, 65-62, as Baez hit the three and Leilani Guion hit a jumper to end the third quarter. Overall, the Trojans shot 72.2 percent in the third with a 3-of-4 showing from deep. They also forced six turnovers for the Thundering Herd.

Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"What a night we just had in the freezing cold. We were down 21, and yet, we were calm, cool, and collected in the locker room. I felt like we still had a purpose, and in the third quarter, we flipped the script. We shot 72 percent in the third and kept forcing turnovers. When Ashley took shots tonight, it felt like she was just willing them in to get us back. I'm thankful for Stephanie Murphy because she's been quiet the whole trip, but she told me she was just praying for the team, and those prayers were answered. I'm just so grateful to get 500 wins. It's surreal. There are so many great players, coaches and staff that I could be here for hours. Tonight was different. It was one of my favorite moments and my favorite wins, because we showed the Trojan way. No matter what the odds are, you can come back, and that's what we did."

Up Next
Troy continues its road trip as it heads to Conway, S.C., to face Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 12 p.m.

500-Win Stats
• Leilani Guion returned to her 3-point range as she hit her first 3-pointer since Jan. 7. She ranks 11^th in Troy D-I history for career 3-point percentage at 34 percent.
• Shakirah Edwards rejected a shot in the second quarter for her 12^th game with a block.
• With the win, Troy remains perfect against Marshall at 4-0 with two road wins.
• Zay Dyer and Fortuna Ngnawo claimed double-doubles to maintain the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the SBC, respectively.
• Fortuna Ngnawo ended with 21 points for her fourth 20-plus point game of the season.
• Troy's 21-point comeback marks its second of the season, coming back from down 21 against Longwood on Dec. 3.
• Head coach Chanda Rigby claimed her 500^th career collegiate victory with the comeback over Marshall – She has 272 at Troy to be three wins away from passing Joyce Sorrell for the most by a Troy women's basketball head coach.
• After shooting 27.3 percent in the first half, the Trojans shot 61.8 percent in the second, including 72.2 percent in the third quarter, to come back from down 20 at the break.