Scott Shelton
Staff Writer
The Troy women’s basketball team won its last two home games of the season, defeating Sun Belt Conference opponents Louisiana 72-53 and Louisiana-Monroe 94-62.
The two wins cap off an 11-1 record at home this season, the best record in Trojan Arena history. With only two more regular season games left, the Trojans’ win over ULM marked their ninth win in the last 10 games.
On Thursday against Louisiana, the Trojans had five players with double-digit points. Amber Rivers and Jasmine Sanders led the team in scoring with 12 points each.
Senior Chelsey Gibson scored 10 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds to record her first double-double of the season.
Sky’Lynn Holmes grabbed 21 rebounds, just one short of tying Caitlyn Ramirez’s record of 22 rebounds posted in last season’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
As a team, Troy out-rebounded Louisiana 66 to 37. The Trojans grabbed 31 offensive rebounds alone, including nine from Holmes.
The Trojan defense held its ground in the first half, allowing the Ragin’ Cajuns to score just 16 points in two quarters.
In the second half, the Trojans extended their lead to as high as 22 points and maintained it on their way to win 72-53.
The Trojans held the Ragin’ Cajuns to just 34 percent shooting from the field and 29 percent from the three-point line. The Trojans also kept their fouls low, allowing their opponent to shoot just eight free throws all game.
On Senior Day against Louisiana-Monroe, the Trojans trailed after the first quarter but allowed just seven points in the second quarter to regain a 39-25 lead at halftime.
The Trojan offense scored 33 points in the third quarter and extended the lead to 31 points heading into the fourth quarter, allowing Troy to cruise to its largest margin of victory since its 41-point thrashing of Georgia Southern on Dec. 29.
Kayla Robinson led the team with 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and six steals.
Seniors Dajia Williams and Gibson combined for 18 points and 11 rebounds in their last game in Trojan Arena.
Six Trojans combined for 18 steals, contributing to 36 total turnovers for the Warhawks.
After the game, Troy Head Coach Chanda Rigby noted the team’s goals before the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
“We are continuing to set goals and reach to goals,” Rigby said. “Our overall goal is to be the most improved team by the time we get to the Sun Belt Tournament.”
Next up, the Trojans go on the road to play Georgia State on Thursday and Georgia Southern on Saturday to close out the regular season before heading to New Orleans for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament next Tuesday.
Thursday’s game is 4 p.m., and will be broadcast on ESPN3. However, you won’t be able to stream Saturday’s regular season finale, which tips off at 1 p.m.
