The Troy women’s basketball team played host to rival South Alabama on Saturday and captured its eighth conference victory of the season.
The 75-71 win pulled the Trojans (15-6, 8-2 Sun Belt) to a second-place tie with Texas-Arlington heading into the final six games of the regular season.
The Trojans got off to a hot start, opening the game with a 12-2 run. Troy’s defense was stifling, holding the Jaguars to just five shot attempts in contrast to the Trojan’s 11 shot attempts in that stretch. Troy ended the first quarter with a 20-9 lead and five different players scoring.
Both offenses caught fire in the second quarter. The two teams combined for 50 total points, 25 for each team. Troy senior guard Jayla Chills scored eight points in the final 3:30 of the half to help Troy maintain a 45-34 lead at halftime. Chills ended the game with a team-high 15 points on 6-12 shooting.
Troy’s offense was humbled in the third quarter as the team shot just 4-20 on the floor. South Alabama took advantage, scoring 21 points in the quarter and pulling within three before the stanza ended. The Jaguars’ Colby Davis and Genesis Perrymond combined to score 15 of those 21 points.
Troy’s struggles leaked into the fourth quarter, and South Alabama took its first lead of the game with 9:10 left to go. The Jaguars held onto the lead for the next eight minutes before a Chills jumper put the Trojans back out in front. A sloppy final 43 seconds that saw two turnovers and five missed free throws ended with a 75-71 victory for the Trojans.
“It’s a great win in Trojan Arena against our rival South Alabama,” Head Coach Chanda Rigby said. “I thought we started the game as well as we could start a game. Then, over the course of the game, we let that drop. The third quarter was a nightmare for us, so I’m really proud of the team for finding a way to win.”
Troy’s win evens the all-time series at 21 games apiece and marks the third consecutive time the Trojans have beaten South Alabama.
Next, Troy will take a tour through Louisiana with games against Louisiana-Monroe on Feb. 9 and Louisiana on Feb. 11.
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