Scott Shelton
Staff Writer
The Troy women’s basketball team lost to Sun Belt opponent Coastal Carolina 97-92 on Saturday, but rebounded to defeat Appalachian State 81-74 to pick up its third conference win of the season.
The Trojans fell behind early to Coastal Carolina and trailed by 10 at halftime. By the end of the third quarter, however, Troy cut the deficit to just two.
With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Trojans took their first lead of the game, which the Chanticleers took right back with an 8-0 run.
Sophomore Amber Rivers scored a layup to bring the Trojans within a point, but the basket was waived due to an offensive foul called on Rivers. Troy would not score again, and Coastal Carolina held on to win 97-92.
Five starters reached double digits in the high-scoring affair. Rivers led the team with 20 points, and Kayla Robinson scored all 16 of her points in the second half, energizing the Trojans’ comeback efforts.
Despite the loss, Troy Head Coach Chanda Rigby was pleased with her team’s performance.
“With a young team, I always equate it to a boat,” Rigby said. “When you plug one hole, another one pops up.
“I feel like tonight, we plugged up a couple of holes. We shot a better percentage, we cut down on our turnovers, but we didn’t cover their shooters very well in the first half, and that’s how we got down in a hole.”
The team bounced back Monday night in an 81-74 win over another Sun Belt foe, Appalachian State.
The team led for 36 of the 40 minutes, but the game was close throughout.
The Mountaineers took the lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to make the score 63-62, but an 8-0 run gave Troy the lead for good.
The win ends Troy’s four-game-losing streak in Sun Belt play.
Amber Rivers recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kayla Robinson also recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 assists.
After the game, Coach Rigby said her team’s aggressiveness and depth from the bench contributed to the team’s win.
“A win is great right now,” Rigby said. “I really liked the way the team came out so aggressive.
“We cleared the bench in the first three minutes of the game. We wanted everyone to take part in this win, and we didn’t want anyone getting cold on the bench.”
After a two-game home stand, the Trojans will go on the road to Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday and then Louisiana on Saturday.
