Troy women’s basketball team kicked off its regular season with a 103-72 win at West Alabama on Friday, Nov. 13, in Trojan Arena and a 73-69 loss at Samford on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
The Trojans’ (1-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) victory over the Tigers (1-2, 0-0 Gulf South) was head coach Chanda Rigby’s ninth time forcing 30 or more turnovers in a game at Troy.
The Trojans dominated the court in each half, ultimately winning the game 103-72 over the Tigers.
Senior guard Ashley Beverly Kelley led all scorers in the game, recording a game-high 24 points. She also was able to find some success beyond the arc, making four out of five attempts from three-point range.
Senior guard Rachel Reid also contributed, making four three-point shots out of 12.
Junior forward Caitlyn Ramirez was the second top scorer of the game, earning 18 points for her team.
Although Troy seemed to maintain control of the court from the opening tip, Rigby urged her team to do better.
“I would’ve loved to have played better in the first half, especially on the defensive end,” Rigby said.
“It forced us to get out of our press in the second half, which we never want to do. But, to be able to concentrate on a few things and do them well, we just went to our half-court defense.”
The Trojans reeled in 40 rebounds in the game and restricted the Tigers to only 27 points in the second half.
Their second game was expected to be tough, and it quickly showed itself to be just that.
The game against Samford University took place at the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
Troy started off well, leading its opponents by three points at the halftime mark, 29-26.
After halftime, the Trojans remained just slightly ahead of their competition throughout the third period.
The final period began with the Trojans leading by just two points, and the Bulldogs (2-1, 0-0 Southern) sought to take back the lead.
In a fast-paced game, the Trojans eventually fell to the Bulldogs with a final score of 73-69.
Senior guard Ashley Beverley Kelley was the team’s top scorer with 33 points, with only six shots from three-point range.
It was not only a close game, but a physical one as well. Junior forward Caitlyn Ramirez and freshman forward Amahni Upshaw tied for a game-high five fouls in the game.
The Troy women’s team is set to play again on Sunday, Nov. 22, at Trojan Arena against Fort Valley State University. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
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