During Christmas break, the women’s basketball team record improved to 8-5. Wins against both the UT-Arlington Lady Mavericks and the Georgia State Panthers have given the Lady Trojans a winning streak of three games.
On Monday, Jan. 5, Troy defeated the Mavericks 70-63. Junior guard Ashley Beverly-Kelley led the team with 17 points, but junior guard Rachel Reid followed closely with 15 points.
Sophomore forward Caitlyn Ramirez also contributed with her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Trojans outscored the Mavericks in both the first and second halves and were more successful making field goals and free throws. Troy and UT-Arlington were even in the three-pointers, however, each team making 26.7 percent of its shots.
On Saturday, Jan. 10, the Trojans trailed for most of the first half against the Panthers of Georgia State, but prevailed in a second-half brawl and won 96-87.
The star for Troy in that game was senior guard Kourtney Coleman. Coleman managed to sink six out of seven three-point attempts and scored a team-leading 27 points on the night to help lead the Trojans to a victory.
Four other Trojans contributed double digits, including senior forward Ronita Garrett with 18 points, Beverly-Kelley with 13 points, Reid with 12 points, and junior guard Lacey Buchanon with 10 points.
One of the factors that led the Trojans to a victory was their ability to take advantage of turnovers and turn them into points. Field goals and three-pointers are what kept Troy ahead of the Panthers due to both teams having high-scoring percentages at the free-throw line.
Troy scored 27 points off turnovers and offensive rebounds to keep itself in the game.
The Trojans are now 3-1 in the Sun Belt Conference, the best start since the 2002-2003 season, when the program was part of Atlantic Sun Conference.
“It’s an honor to have the best Sun Belt start in Troy history,” said head coach Chanda Rigby. “The fact that two of the three came on road is a big accomplishment. The team is showing maturity, and we can still get a lot better.”
Throughout the season, Garrett and Beverly-Kelley have led the team in nearly every game. The duo has combined for a total of 364 points and 193 rebounds.
The Trojans will be back in action Friday, Jan. 15, against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks in Monroe, Louisiana.
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