Bulldogs too much for Troy to handle in 110-69 loss

The Sun Belt champions Troy Trojans played a tight first quarter with Mississippi State, but were stifled for the rest of the game in an 110-69 loss.

The 15th-seeded women’s basketball team traveled to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on second-seed Mississippi State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

After falling behind 11-2 to open the game, Troy battled back to make it 12-9. The Trojans never got closer than three points, as the two teams traded shots for much of the rest of the first quarter.

Troy entered the second quarter down just 27-21 but had a forgettable next ten minutes. The Bulldogs outscored Troy 29-6 in the quarter behind four three pointers, including one as the buzzer went off to end the half.

Troy turned the ball over nine times in the quarter and 28 times throughout the game. The Trojans made only two field goals in the quarter, shooting just 13 percent.

Up 56-27 after halftime, Mississippi State continued to pull away to make the score 88-46. Senior Claresa Banks was a bright spot for Troy, as she scored nine points in the stanza. Banks finished with a team-high 15 points in the game.

With the game well in hand, Troy played a tight fourth quarter. Five different Trojans scored in the quarter, including freshman Amber Rivers. Rivers scored all her 11 points in the fourth to finish with her second-highest scoring total of the season.

Senior Caitlyn Ramirez, limited to 14 minutes due to foul trouble, finished with five points and four rebounds. Ramirez’s finishes her illustrious career in Troy third on the school’s all-time rebounding leaderboard with 692.