Wesley Kirchharr
Staff Writer
The Troy women’s basketball team lost its first of two meetings with in-state rival South Alabama, coming up short 79-68 on Saturday in Mobile.
The Trojans were led by a career outing from sophomore forward Amber Rivers, whose 25 points were a career and game-high.
Rivers shot 11-20 from the field, followed by sophomore Kayla Robinson, who chipped in 14 points of her own on 6-13 shooting.
However, the scoring duo was not enough for the Trojans to overcome a stingy Jaguar defense, one that forced Troy into committing 21 turnovers. A poor shooting night from behind the arc also plagued the Trojans as they finished the game with only two makes on 17 attempts.
Troy held a 26-23 lead at the end of the first quarter after South Alabama had trouble keeping possession of the ball early. The Jags turned the ball over 14 times before the half, allowing Troy to head to the locker rooms with a five-point deficit.
Both teams shot the ball poorly in the second half, but the Trojans missed 26 shots in the final two quarters allowing the Jaguars to pull ahead and maintain a lead.
Late in the third quarter, Troy once again found itself within striking distance to take the lead late in a game that featured nine lead changes. The Trojans fought to within one point with under four minutes left in the period, but the Jaguars distanced themselves with a pair of third quarter threes to bring its game total to 10.
In the final quarter of play, the Jaguars remained stingy on defense while also connecting on 10 of their 11 attempts from the free throw lines to seal the 11-point win.
Troy returns home after a three-game road stretch to take on Coastal Carolina on Saturday. The Sun Belt Conference matchup is set to tipoff at 2 p.m. with the game being broadcast on ESPN3.
