Women's Basketball Drops First Contest of the Season to Mississippi State

Wednesday, November 11

Starkville, Miss.

6:30 p.m.

Troy University

2-1,0-0Sun Belt

Mississippi State

3-0,0-0SEC

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Troy	4	10	25	18	57
Mississippi St.	28	17	15	19	79

Box Score (PDF)

11/11/2026 9:51:00 PM | Basketball (W)

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Chanda Rigby Press Conference Photo Gallery

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. — Troy women's basketball drops its first contest of the season with a 79-57 loss to Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., on Wednesday night.

The Bulldogs outrebounded the Trojans (2-1) by a 55-36 margin, marking Troy's largest rebounding deficit since the 2023-24 season, when Tennessee grabbed 28 more boards (63-35)

. Troy's 36 rebounds also represent the team's lowest single-game total since being held to 35 against South Alabama during the 2024-25 campaign.

Hannah Smith paced the Trojans' offense with 16 points, scoring eight in the fourth quarter

. After a sluggish first half that produced just 14 points on 20.7 percent shooting — alongside 17 turnovers compared to Mississippi State's seven — Troy found its rhythm after the break

. The Trojans surged in the second half to outscore the Bulldogs 43-34, shooting 42.9 percent from the floor while winning the turnover battle 13-9.

Mississippi State (3-0) set the tone early with stifling defense, holding Troy to just four points — all scored by Saniya Jackson — for the Trojans' lowest-scoring quarter since the 2015–16 season

. In the opening frame alone, the Bulldogs forced 13 turnovers and limited Troy to just 10 shot attempts

. Favour Nwaedozi anchored Mississippi State on both ends of the floor, posting a double-double with 22 points and 19 rebounds.

Battled Back
Despite facing an early deficit after a slow start, the Trojans refused to let up

. Trailing 45–14 at halftime, Troy surged out of the locker room, shooting 8-for-17 from the field and sinking a pair of three-pointers to outscore Mississippi State 25–15 in the third quarter.

Fifth-year transfer Aniya Hubbard found her offensive rhythm after the break, shooting 3-for-4 from the floor and knocking down her lone three-point attempt

of the second half. She also anchored the defensive effort, disrupting the Bulldogs' offense with a game-high seven steals.

Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"Tonight's game went about how you might think when you're trusting four freshmen on the floor to play the majority of the game," Rigby said. "They had to see what we talked about — about being tougher, taking hits, holding your ground, and not just boxing out for a rebound but shoving out. It looked really bad in the first half, but they did not give up and they came out determined in the second half."

Notables

Tayla Barros matched her career-best in steals (3) and field goal attempts (7).
Jamonica Chambers secured her first career block.
Kimora Hughes posted a personal-best four rebounds.
Saniya Jackson recorded a career-high 15 shot attempts.
Taliah Martin notched the first assist of her Trojan career.

Up Next
Troy women's basketball continues its three-game road trip when they travel to Nashville, Tenn., for a matchup with Belmont on Friday, Nov. 13.