Troy Women Win Sixth Straight
TROY, Alabama – In a game between Sun Belt Conference unbeatens, the Troy women's basketball team pummeled UT Arlington, 85-68, at Trojan Arena on Saturday for its sixth consecutive win; it is also the first time in program history that the team has started conference play 5-0.
Troy (12-4, 5-0 Sun Belt) corralled Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year Rebekah VanDijk the entire game holding the junior to just one field goal and eight free throws, well below her season average of 17.5 points per game. Caitlyn Ramirez was hot from the outset knocking down three of the Trojans' first five shots. Troy went on a pair of impactful runs in the first quarter including a 14-3 spurt to end the frame.
UT Arlington (11-4, 4-1) managed to shoot just 31.5 percent, while Troy converted 50.8 percent (32-63) of its shots. The Mavericks missed on 23 of 30 (23.3%) 3-point attempts in the game.
Ramirez and Amanda Mendoza each finished with a game-high 17 points. Ramirez had nine rebounds and three steals while Mendoza, who was also 4-for-5 from 3-point range collected a career-high six boards. Claresa Banks chipped in with 13 points and Jayla Chills added six assists with eight points.
QUOTABLE
"We are very excited and pleased to get this win," Troy head coach Chanda Rigby said. "The way we got the win was incredible. We had some players that wanted this game so badly that I was afraid we'd come out with too much emotion, but that didn't happen."
UP NEXT
Troy travels to face Little Rock on Jan. 19 and Arkansas State on Jan. 21.
LR Moves to 5-0 in Sun Belt With Win Over A-State
LITTLE ROCK – The Trojan women's basketball team got the better of its in-state rival on Saturday evening, defeating Arkansas State 73-59 at the Jack Stephens Center and staying perfect in Sun Belt Conference play.
The Trojans (11-6, 5-0 Sun Belt) led by as many as 20 points during the contest and led the Red Wolves (3-14, 1-4) for nearly 35 of the game's 40 minutes.
Senior guard Sharde' Collins a new career high with 24 points on 10 of 21 shooting. Senior Kaitlyn Pratt and junior Monique Townson each had 15 points, and Ronjanae DeGray scored 12.
Kyra Collier, meanwhile, scored just 4 points but added 11 rebounds and 10 assists for her third career double-double. The double-double was Little Rock's first using rebounds and assists since Ka'Nesheia Cobbins had 10 rebounds and 12 assists against Appalachian State in January 2015.
As a team, the Trojans reached 70 points for the fourth consecutive game, marking the first time the team achieved that feat since November 21-December 1 of 2012.
Arkansas State began the game with a 6-2 lead, but it was all Trojans from that point. Little Rock went on a 15-2 run from that point including a 9-0 run to close the first quarter, and the Trojans never trailed again.
Little Rock extend that run to 12-0 early in the second quarter before the Red Wolves finally scored a basket after their six-minute drought. Arkansas State would make the game close, using a 7-0 run to get within 4 points at 27-23. But from there, the Trojans went on a 13-3 run that included 4 points in the final 30 seconds of the half to go into the break leading 40-26.
The Trojans expanded their lead to 20 points in the third quarter, and the Red Wolves made one final push in the fourth. The game was tense with Little Rock's lead at just 64-56 with four minutes remaining, but a Townson 3-pointer and a DeGray layup pushed the lead back into double digits over the next 60 seconds to end the Red Wolves' threat.
Besides her rebounds and assists, Collier tied for the team lead in steals with Townson, each player recording five. Townson had four assists as well, and DeGray and Pratt had six rebounds apiece.
Little Rock earned a 26-8 edge in points off turnovers as the Red Wolves coughed the ball up 21 times. Little Rock also out-assisted Arkansas State 18-6.
Little Rock is back at the Jack Stephens Center on Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. matchup with Troy. Both undefeated in league play, the two sets of Trojans will be squaring off with sole possession of first place on the line.
Ragin' Cajuns Set Three-Point Record In 79-52 Win Over Georgia Southern
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team set a Cajundome record with 14 three-pointers on the way to defeating Georgia Southern 79-52 on Saturday at the Cajundome.
Louisiana (10-4, 4-1 SBC) used a balanced team effort including 25 points from Jaylyn Gordon and a double-double from Simone Fields with 16 points and 12 rebounds to give the Cajuns a fourth straight win.
Georgia Southern (5-11, 1-4 SBC) jumped out to an early 12-5 lead when Angel McGowan knocked down a three-pointer with 4:59 left in the first quarter.
The Cajuns closed the gap and a Jasmine Thomas layup with 28 seconds to go in the first period cut the Eagles' lead to 18-16 at the end of the first frame.
Louisiana regained the lead at 24-22 when Gordon made a layup with 5:53 left in the second quarter.
The Cajuns then went on a 22-1 run that was capped off by a Gordon three-pointer to give Louisiana a 41-23 lead with 1:41 left in the second period. The Cajuns held a 41-27 lead at halftime.
Georgia Southern trimmed the lead to 47-34 when Patrice Butler made a layup with 6:29 left in the third quarter.
Louisiana led 58-41 at the end of the third period and extended their lead to 67-45 when Troi Swain made a jumper with 5:57 remaining in the game.
The Cajuns then closed out the game in the final minutes behind solid shooting from several players. Louisiana shot 29-for-61 from the floor and 14-for-27 from the three-point line.
Georgia Southern was led by McGowan with 19 points while Butler had 16 points for the Eagles.
Louisiana will hit the road for a game at UT Arlington on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. The Cajuns will then travel to San Marcos, Texas to face Texas State on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m.
Inside Play Lifts Bobcats Past South Alabama
MOBILE, Ala. – Texas State scored 30 points in the paint and outrebounded South Alabama by 12 en route to a 57-44 road win Saturday afternoon in Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball action.
Four Bobcats (7-9, 2-3 Sun Belt) scored in double-figures with Ti’Aira Pitts totaling a near-career-high 13 points. Toshua Leavitt scored 12, while Taeler Deer notched 11 and Amber Jones added 10. The Bobcats controlled the paint throughout the game, outscoring their counterparts 30-24 inside and winning the battle on the glass 44-34. Texas State closed the game shooting 40.6 percent (26 of 64) overall, including 45.6 percent (21 of 46) from inside the arc.
South Alabama (7-9, 2-3 Sun Belt) was led by Colby Davis’ 12 points. The Jaguars went 16 of 53 (30.2 percent) from the field and surrendered 15 points off 13 turnovers.
Texas State made 7 of its 17 first-quarter shots and outrebounded the Jaguars 14-7 on its way to a 15-9 lead after 10 minutes of action. Six Bobcats scored in the quarter, including points in the paint by De’Jionae Calloway, Pitts and Erin Peoples.
The Bobcats started the second quarter with three baskets inside to extend its lead to a then-game-high eight points at 21-14 with 5:54 showing on the first-half clock. Less than a minute later Deer scored her third bucket of the game, but the Bobcats would go scoreless over the ensuing 4:52. However, the visitors limited the Jaguars to only five points during the drought, while forcing three turnovers and collecting five defensive rebounds. Deer ended the scoreless streak with a 3-pointer with seven second to go in the half, sending the team into the intermission with Texas State up 26-20.
Texas State’s shooting woes carried over into the third quarter as the Bobcats were held scoreless during for the first 3:30 as South Alabama closed its deficit to 26-24. Leavitt then scored on a driving layup, sparking a 6-2 run that included buckets by Pitts and Jones. South Alabama responded with four quick points and went on to outscore TXST 10-8 through the remainder of the quarter, trimming the Bobcats’ lead to 40-36 with 10 minutes to play.
A Candice Williams free throw and Davis 3-pointer in the initial two minutes of the fourth cut the Bobcats’ lead to 40-39. However, less than 30 seconds later Leavitt made her second three of the game, igniting an 11-0 run that put Texas State securely ahead at 51-39. Six of the run’s points were scored inside via layups from Leavitt, Pitts and Jones.
South Alabama got no closer than nine the rest of the way as Texas State picked up its second Sun Belt win of the season and first away from San Marcos since late January of last year (Jan. 28 at Louisiana).
Strong Second Half Lifts Coastal Past App State
CONWAY - The Coastal Carolina women's basketball team rallied back from a 12-point deficit, and received 14 second-half points from Alexis Robinson, as the Chanticleers claimed their second straight Sun Belt victory, 60-55, over Appalachian State Saturday afternoon at the HTC Center.
It is the second time in as many games that Coastal (7-8, 2-3 SBC) has erased a double-figure point deficit in the second half to rally for the win. App State (7-9, 2-3 SBC) was limited to just 21 second-half points, including a game low of eight in the fourth quarter.
In addition to leading all scorers, Robinson led all players on the boards with 14 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
Coastal also had the game's second and third leading scorers as Ced Gibson and Rachael Gregory recorded 14 and 13 points, respectively. It was Gregory's first game action since her 10-point performance at College of Charleston on Dec. 20.
The Chants forced App into committing 27 turnovers, 20 of which were Coastal steals. The 20 swipes matched the team's season high set against Pfeiffer on Dec. 2. Coastal cashed in 22 points off of App's turnovers.
The Mountaineers were led by the 12 points each of Q. Murray and Joi Jones. App closed the game with advantages in field goal shooting percentage and rebounds.
The first half featured a scoring battle between a pair of players from each team. Gibson and Gregory combined to score 16 of Coastal's 25 first-half points, while Jones and Story recorded 14 of App's 34.
A 15-10 App State lead at the end of the first quarter was erased just a minute-and-a-half into the second as the Chants used a 7-2 run, capped by a Gibson 3-pointer, to even the score at 17-17. The Mountaineers responded with a 12-2 run over the next six minutes to take their first double-digit lead of the game, 29-19. Three baskets apiece over the half's final two minutes allowed App to take a 34-25 lead into the locker room.
The Mountaineers maintained their nine-point cushion until 3:34 of the third quarter, when Amber Driver hit a 3-pointer to give App a 12-point lead, its largest of the game. Undaunted, Coastal finished the final three minutes of the quarter on an 11-4 run, with five different Chants scoring during that span. App's lead was cut to just five points, 47-42, by the end of the quarter.
Robinson hit back-to-back baskets to open the fourth quarter, bringing the Chants within one points of tying the game. Robinson added four more points over the next four minutes, and Gregory gave Coastal its first lead of the game at 2:41 of the fourth on a short jumper. Coastal never surrendered its lead as Robinson and DJ Williams combined to hit four free throws to close out the game. Coastal shot a game-high of 40 percent from the field in the fourth, and Robinson scored 10 of CCU's 18 points in the quarter.
Coastal returns to action Thursday for a 7 p.m. game at Georgia Southern, followed by a noon matchup at Georgia State on Saturday, Jan. 21.
ULM Grabs First SBC Win with Three Double-Digit Scorers
Monroe, La. - The ULM women’s basketball team grabbed a 72-63 win over Georgia State for the team's fist Sun Belt Conference win of the season inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum Saturday afternoon, coming back from a 12-point deficit to secure the victory.
TURNING POINT
Down by as many as 12 points in the third quarter, ULM closed the gap to four before starting the final quarter of action. The Warhawks found their rhythm in the fourth quarter and closed the game with an 11-4 run to grab the win.
NOTABLES
-Alexis Collins led the charge with 19 points and went 7-of-24 from the floor. Collins also knocked down 5-of-6 from the charity stripe and filled the rest of her stat line out with three defensive rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal.
-Carissa Moody matched her career-high with 17 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-6 from the three-point range. Moody also grabbed four rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals.
-Also in double-digits was Gabriella Cortez with 14 points, shooting 4-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-7 from behind the arch. Cortez also sunk 2-of-4 from the charity stripe. The junior grabbed six rebounds (4 defensive), five assists, one block, two steals and recorded only two turnovers in 40 minutes of play.
-The Warhawks finished the game shooting 40.6 percent (26-of-64) compared to Georgia State's 40.3 percent (25-of-62). ULM posted its highest percentage of the game in the fourth quarter shooting at a 55.6 percent clip (10-of-18).
- ULM defended the three point in such a way throughout the contest that the Panthers were only able to get off seven shots, four of which were in the first quarter alone. Georgia State as a team did not make any of those three-point shots.
-ULM forced 21 turnovers and turn that into 28 points off of those turnovers. The Warhawks also led the way in second chance points with nine compared to Georgia State's seven.