Historic. A word used over and over again to describe the 2023-24 season for the Troy Trojans women's basketball team.
After starting the season 0-6, the Trojans made history in a multitude of ways before bowing out in the semifinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
The unprecedented season came to an unfortunate end last Wednesday night at the hands of the Golden Gophers from Minnesota. The Golden Gophers beat the Trojans 74-69 in the semifinal round of the WNIT, dubbed the “Fab Four” to advance to the championship game.
“Tonight was one of the best nights in Trojan Arena,” said head coach Chanda Rigby. “All those fans were behind us.
“This team has created such an impact, and we are so grateful to have played in that kind of environment.”
Rigby was right in her praise for the Trojan faithful, as the 4,333 fans in attendance were enough to set a new home attendance record for the women's basketball team.
The 2-1 postseason record, including wins over FIU and North Carolina A & T State was the deepest run in Troy women's basketball Division I history. The win over FIU also marked the women of Troy’s first postseason win in their DI history.
The last game of the 2023-24 season was no different from the rest of the season. Senior leader Ja’Mia “Stixxs” Hollings led the way, notching 1,000 career points and cementing her spot in Troy history, finishing fifth on the all-time Trojan rebound list.
In their final game as Trojans, Hollings, Tai’Sheka Porchia and Makayia “Mae Mae” Hallmon did what they do best. Hollings finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds for her seventh consecutive double-double while Porchia was right behind with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Hallmon backed them up well with 19 points and four rebounds contributed by the 5’3” guard.
In addition to Hollings, junior guard Shaulana Wagner also entered the Trojan record books with 150 assists on the season, the fifth most in Troy’s DI history. She dished out three assists in the loss to contribute to her total.
The Trojans scored the first bucket of the game off a Hollings layup and-one to jump out early, but Minnesota quickly responded with two points of their own. Hallmon got herself going with a quick jumper to give the Trojans a 5-2 lead.
That would be all the Trojans got though as Minnesota responded with a transition basket and a quick three-pointer to take their first lead of the game. The Trojans would tie it at seven with a Porshia layup, but that would be it for the Trojans as they were forced to play catch up the rest of the game.
The Trojans suffered offensively in the first quarter, trailing by as much as 12 points before two three-pointers from Hollings would cut the Golden Gophers lead to eight at the end of the quarter. The Trojans kept up with Minnesota’s pace in the second quarter, going into the halftime break down nine.
Troy started to find its rhythm in the third quarter, as the team outscored Minnesota 23-17 in the quarter. After a couple of quick Minnesota baskets, the Trojans went on a 17-6 run before entering the fourth quarter. The run, which started with a Porchia layup and was capped off by another Porchia layup, was enough to get the Trojans within three of the Gophers.
Despite the run and the crowd being at its loudest the entire season, the Trojans couldn’t capitalize to take the lead in the fourth quarter. The closest they got was within one point off a Hollings free throw with 55 seconds left in the game, trailing 68-67.
The season ends with the Trojans securing a 22-12 record, securing Coach Rigby’s eighth 20-plus win season as a Trojan. The season saw the Trojans rock at home as well, finishing 11-5 in home games, with only one Sun Belt Conference loss.
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