( Photo / Troy Athletics )
Alexus Dye pulls up for a mid-range shot as the Trojans split the weekend 1-1 with Georgia Southern.
Wesley Kircharr
Sports Writer
The Troy women’s basketball team split a pair of road games against Georgia Southern over the weekend, posting its second conference loss on the year.
Troy (12-5, 8-2 Sun Belt) kicked off the weekend with a 91-96 loss in Statesboro, marking the first time this season the Trojans have lost after eclipsing the 90-point mark.
“It was a tough game,” Head Coach Chanda Rigby said. “Going in we said we had to be 15-20 points better than somebody to win on the road and we definitely were in the first-half but we didn’t play that well in the second-half. If you play that way you’re not going to get the win. We have to play better in both halves.”
Jasmine Robinson’s career performance was subdued by the Georgia Southern defense as the Eagles took a 12-point advantage with four minutes left to play to put the game on ice.
Robinson posted 33 points, 18 of which coming from her six three pointers. Along with her three assists, three steals and two rebounds, she is the only player in the Sun Belt to pass the 30-point mark this season.
“She (Robinson) hit some really big shots,” Rigby said. “She was very determined, and she understood the time, the score and the urgency and she just kept going for big shots and making big shots and we are really proud of her.”
In Saturday night’s action, the Trojans bounced back to even the series with a 92-83 win.
Troy found career contributions in both Janiah Sandifer and Robinson. Sandifer tallied 21 points while Robinson followed her performance on Friday with a 20-point outing.
“I think this was a defining game for us,” Rigby said. “We talked about it’s how we come back from that loss on Friday. It’s not like this was an easy team to comeback and beat. Georgia Southern fought every single play and they are very talented.
“We had to execute at a perfect level on every play of the game to get a lead. I’m so proud of this team. They walked in here today with their heads up like champions instead of like they were coming off a loss yesterday.”
Sandifer scored 13 of her 21 in the second half as the Trojans were propelled to the nine-point victory.
Next up, the Trojans are set to square off against in-state rival South Alabama. Troy will play host as the Jags visit for a Thursday night and Saturday night outing. Thursday night’s matchup is set for 6 p.m in Trojan Arena while Saturday’s game is
scheduled for 4 p.m.