Women's basketball team wins pair of road games

The Troy women’s basketball team fueled its momentum with an 86-80 comeback victory over ULM, followed by a gritty 67-63 defensive win against Texas State to sweep their mid-January road trip.  

After trailing the Warhawks at halftime in Monroe, Louisiana, Troy erupted for 53 second-half points while shooting a clinical 60.6%from the floor. This resurgence was led by Zay Dyer, who dominated the post to reclaim the Sun Belt Conference lead in double-doubles. 

"We're very fortunate to come out of Monroe with a win,” said head coach Chanda Rigby.

“Credit to ULM, they had a really solid gameplan under a great new head coach." 

The road trip concluded in San Marcos, Texas, where the Trojans relied on their "rebounding identity" to survive a physical 67-63 clash with Texas State. Rachel Leggett notched a season-high 17 points, but it was Ashley Baez who iced the game with critical steals and late-game free throws.  

Brady Fitch photo

Shakirah Edwards plays defense against Arkansas State

The frontcourt duo of Dyer and Fortuna Ngnawo proved immovable, combining for 35 rebounds to stifle the Bobcats' interior scoring. 

"Big shoutout to Fortuna and Zay for having huge rebound numbers, especially with how hard they had to work for them," Rigby said. 

Individually, Zay Dyer continued her historic season by moving within four boards of the 1,000 career rebound milestone following her 18-rebound performance against Texas State.

Her elite consistency in the paint has been the cornerstone of a Troy defense that currently ranks near the top of the conference.  

With this road sweep, the Trojans improved to 15-3 overall and 6-1 in Sun Belt play. 

"I'm beyond proud of Ashley for her will to win,” Rigby said. “She came up with some huge steals and scores late in the ballgame." 

Now sitting tied for second in the Sun Belt standings, Troy returns home to Trojan Arena for a key stretch against the Georgia-based programs. The team remains a force in the mid-major polls, fueled by an offense that has proven it can win both high-scoring track meets and defensive "dog fights."  

The upcoming home stand offers a chance for the Trojans to further cement their status as regular-season title favorites. 

"Now, we head back to Troy with a pair of teams that we haven't played yet,” Rigby said. “So, I'm excited to see Trojan fans pack the stands." 

The Trojans take on Georgia Southern on Thursday at Trojan Arena before welcoming Georgia State on Saturday. Tip off against the Eagles is set for 6 p.m., and the game against the Panthers starts at 3:33 p.m.