Troy University Athletics
Troy University
24-6,15-3Sun Belt
South Alabama
12-17,5-13Sun Belt
Women’s Basketball Claims No. 2 Seed in Sun Belt Tournament; Falls to South Alabama in Regular-Season Finale
2/27/2026 8:23:00 PM | Basketball (W)
MOBILE, Ala. – Troy women's basketball fell to South Alabama, 76-69, Friday night at the Mitchell Center but still earned the No. 2 seed and a semifinal bye in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
The Trojans (24-6, 15-3 SBC) dropped their share of the regular season title with the loss to the Jaguars (12-17, 5-13 SBC). They will play on Sunday, March 8, at 2 p.m. in the Pensacola Bay Center against the winner of game 10 in the semifinals, which will be either Arkansas State or the winner of game eight.
Head coach Chanda Rigby claimed her second No. 2 seed in her tenure and the first since 2023-24. That season, the Trojans fell in the quarterfinals to Louisiana but went on to earn a WNIT bid and claim their first-ever postseason victory over FIU, advancing to the Fab 4. The top-4 finish also marks the 12th straight season for Rigby and the Trojans.
Troy will search for its fifth Sun Belt Tournament championship and its first since 2020-21. The team will only need two wins for the championship after advancing directly to the semifinals with a 15-3 league record. Troy is 5-8 all-time in the semifinal round and 4-2 in Sun Belt Tournament semifinal games.
In-State Rivalry
Fortuna Ngnawo (14), Rachel Leggett (13), Ashley Baez (12), and Zay Dyer (12) finished in double figures in the loss to South Alabama. Dyer (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Ngnawo (14 points, 12 rebounds) also had their 22nd and 18th double-doubles, respectively, to remain first and second in the SBC. Against her former team, Leggett was perfect, shooting 5-of-5 from the field with a 3-pointer and five steals, while Baez led the team with seven assists and made four 3-pointers.
Troy trailed through most of the ballgame, finding itself down eight, 45-37, 37 seconds into the second half. But Emani Jenkins' first 3-pointer of the game, 10 seconds later, sparked a 14-2 run that led into the media timeout with 4:02 left. After a layup for Amyah Sutton, Leggett (2), Baez (3) Ngnawo (4) and Dyer (2) combined for the 51-47 lead for Troy.
South Alabama responded with a 9-0 run to retake the lead 56-51 with 2:31 left in the third quarter, but Troy managed to end with back-to-back buckets from Dyer to enter the fourth down two, 59-57. The Jaguars opened the final quarter with an 11-0 run before Dyer made a 3-pointer with 6:53 left to be down 10, 70-60. Troy cut the deficit down to four with 47 second left but South Alabama went 4-of-4 at the line to win 76-69.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
We're crushed and heartbroken. We got punched in the face today. They wanted it more. They were flying around for rebounds and showed their best. We were fighting for more, but we didn't want it more. But now we have to pick our heads up. We know we're the No. 2 seed, so we have to choose to take tonight as a lesson and be ready to beat two teams and go for a championship. We just need to learn from tonight and use it. We're going to rest and get ready for our run.
Up Next
As the No. 2 seed in the SBC Tournament, Troy heads to the Pensacola Bay Center for the semifinal round on Sunday, March 8, at 2 p.m. against the winner of game 10, which will be either Arkansas State or the winner of game eight.
No. 2 Seed Stats
• The Trojans enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed for the second time in head coach Chanda Rigby's tenure. The first time since 2023-24.
• Troy enters the semifinal round automatically with its 15-3 league record. The team is 5-8 all-time and 4-2 in the SBC Tournament in the semifinal round.
• Zay Dyer and Fortuna Ngnawo both had double-doubles again with their 22nd and 18th, respectively. Dyer ends the regular season as the nation's leader in double-doubles.
• With her 13 rebounds, Zay Dyer now sits two away (394) from breaking her single-season rebound record set last season (395).
• Rachel Leggett shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the field with a 3-pointer for 13 points and a team-high five steals.
• Ashley Baez led Troy with seven assists and four 3-pointers. It marks her ninth game with 5-plus assists and fourth game with 3-plus 3-pointers.
