Troy University Athletics
Troy University
21-5,12-2Sun Belt
ULM
12-13,6-9Sun Belt
Women’s Basketball Wins Thriller on Letterwinner’s Day Over ULM
2/14/2026 5:06:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – With four seconds on the clock, Fortuna Ngnawo drew the foul and hit the game-winning free throws to secure the 82-80 victory for Troy over ULM on Saturday afternoon in Trojan Arena.
The Trojans (21-5, 12-2 SBC) remain atop the Sun Belt Conference Standings with the win and broke a four-game win streak for the Warhawks (12-13, 6-9 SBC) with their 11th straight win at home over the opposition.
Along with her game-winning free throws, Ngnawo led the team with 24 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and two steals. She claimed her 14th double-double of 2025-26. Zay Dyer also had her 10th straight double-double and 18th of the season on 14 points and 14 rebounds. The starting five all finished in double-figures via Emani Jenkins (18), Ashley Baez (10) and Rachel Leggett (10). As a unit, the Trojans shot 18-of-20 from the free-throw line for 90 percent, while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep.
The Warhawks forced 20 turnovers but got outrebounded 44-35 and shot 10-of-18 at the charity stripe in the loss. Nakiyah Mays-Prince played all but one minute of the game with 27 points, 11 assists and three steals, followed by Marcavia Shavers (17), Jazmine Jackson (15) and Asjah Inniss (13) in double-figures.
Thriller in Trojan Arena
The Trojans held their double-digit lead throughout the third quarter, starting the fourth up 69-54. But with 8:20 remaining, ULM started the comeback. An 11-0 run by the Warhawks over the next two minutes brought the margin to four, 73-69.
Jenkins halted the Warhawks' run with her fifth 3-pointer of the night at the 4:45 mark to push the lead back to seven, 76-69. The Warhawks went back to work, taking the lead, 78-76, with 1:55 left off a Trojan turnover that resulted in a 3-pointer for Inniss.
Ngnawo tied the game, 78-78, after Leilani Guion stole the ball out of the Troy timeout and made two shots from the line – 59 seconds remaining. A miss by ULM allowed Ngnawo to score again, this time on the assist from Dyer to return the lead to Troy, 80-78, with 22 seconds left.
ULM earned a trip to the line with seven seconds left, and Mays-Prince hit both to tie the game at 80. Head coach Chanda Rigby called her final timeout and advanced the ball to halfcourt. Ngnawo got the ball off the inbound and drove inside, earning a trip to the line with four seconds remaining. The senior forward hit both critical free throws for the 82-80 lead. With no timeouts left, ULM went to Mays-Prince but missed the game-winner as Troy claimed the victory.
Double-Digit Lead at the Half
The game was tight through the first 10 minutes of play before the Trojans ramped up the lead in the second, starting with a 3-pointer from Jenkins and a layup for Ngnawo in the first minute to make the score 22-16.
ULM fired back with a three before Jenkins hit her second of the quarter off the steal by Ngnawo. On the next possession, Ngnawo made the tip-in layup for a 27-19 advantage with 7:36 on the clock.
An 8-0 run for ULM tied the game at 27 with 6:21 left in the first half before Troy rattled a 9-0 run until 3:37 showed on the clock. Baez went back-to-back to start the run with a jumper, followed by a fastbreak 3-pointer. 1:27 later, Troy got possession after a held ball, and Ngnawo got the pass from Leggett to hit the mid-range jumper – Baez finished the run with a pair of free throws.
After the teams traded blows, Ngnawo got the and-one and hit two free throws on the next possession for a 43-31 lead with 2:07 remaining. A free throw from ULM paused the 5-0 burst, but a Jenkins three and free throw finished the half with Troy up 15, 47-32.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
It was a good day in Trojan Arena. We're grateful to come out with the win. It was necessary to stay in first place, and it came down to the last shot. Even when we had a 15-point lead, I knew it wasn't enough. This is the hottest team in the Sun Belt we've played. They've won four in a row, some by 25 or 26 points. The way they played in the fourth quarter is how they've been playing and what we expected. It's hard to beat a team like that. I'm proud of our team. It came down to the last play. We work on those special situations, but it's almost impossible to mimic that urgency in practice. The first time you really see it is in a moment like that, and they executed it — got the ball to Fortuna, she turned, tried to draw a foul, and it worked perfectly.
Up Next
The Trojans stay in Trojan Arena next Wednesday, at 6 p.m., inviting in-state rivals South Alabama.
Valentine's Day Stats
• Zay Dyer secured her 10th straight double-double on 14 points and 14 rebounds. She continues to lead the nation with 18 in 2025-26.
• Fortuna Ngnawo returned to the floor with a team-high 24 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. She earned her 14th double-double of the season and 27th double-digit scoring game in 28.
• Troy's starting five all ended in double-figures via Fortuna Ngnawo (24), Emani Jenkins (18), Zay Dyer (14), Ashley Baez (10) and Rachel Leggett (10). Together, that starting five is 19-4.
• With the win, Troy's won 11 straight at home against ULM, improving to 12-5 overall.
• The Trojans shot 18-of-20 from the free throw line compared to the Warhawks' 10-of-18 in the win. It's the best the Trojans shot at the line all season.
• Emani Jenkins hit five threes in the win, marking her 19th game with multiple threes, 16th with 3-plus and fourth with 5 or more.
• Fortuna Ngnawo set a career-high in free throws made with eight in the victory.
