Scott Shelton
Staff Writer
The Troy women’s basketball team fell to Sun Belt Conference foe Georgia State 85-78 on the road Thursday but rebounded two days later to defeat Georgia Southern 95-80 to close out the regular season.
On Monday, the Sun Belt Conference announced its regular season awards, and three Trojans were recognized. Junior Sky’Lynn Holmes was named Newcomer of the Year, and sophomores Kayla Robinson and Amber Rivers were named All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team.
Against the Panthers, the Trojans played a tightly contested game, but they could not keep Georgia State — the Sun Belt Conference leaders in free-throw shooting — off the free-throw line.
The Panthers made 21 of 31 attempts at the line, compared to just seven of 11 Trojan attempts.
Troy gained the lead in the third quarter, leading by as many as eight points, but fell behind in the fourth quarter. The Trojans’ rough fourth quarter led to the Panthers taking the win 85-78.
Jasmine Sanders led the team with 16 points, including four 3-pointers.
Holmes followed up her 21-rebound performance against Louisiana with a 17-rebound game on Thursday. Seven of those rebounds came from the offensive glass. Holmes added 15 points to record a double-double.
Kayla Robinson scored 13 points, and Rivers scored 10 points to round out Trojans in double figures.
After the loss at Georgia State on Thursday, Troy rebounded against Georgia Southern to conclude the regular season with a victory.
The Trojans led for 36 minutes, but the Eagles kept the Trojan lead to just six heading into the fourth quarter. Troy scored 25 points in the fourth quarter while holding Georgia Southern to just 16 points to pull away and win 95-80.
Sanders once again led the team in points, this time setting a career-high with 28 points and eight rebounds. Sanders made 11 of her 16 field goal attempts and five of her eight attempts from beyond the arc.
Harriet Winchester contributed 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Jasmine Robinson scored 13 points off three 3-pointers.
Dajia Williams, in her final regular-season game as a Trojan, scored 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
Holmes continued her dominance on the boards by grabbing 11 rebounds, marking the third time in five games she has achieved double-digit rebounds.
Troy has now won 10 of its last 12 games and improved its overall record to 17-12 and Sun Belt Conference record to 12-6.
The Trojans now turn their attention to the Sun Belt Conference Championships in New Orleans. The Trojans will be the No. 4 seed and get a first round bye. On Thursday, March 8, they will face No. 5 South Alabama. which defeated No. 12 Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday.
