Troy Downs Jacksonville in Final Second
TROY, Alabama – Amber Rivers sank a layup with 0.2 seconds on the clock as the Troy women's basketball team defeated Jacksonville in a thriller, 89-88, in Trojan Arena on Friday.
After Jacksonville's Jasmyn Brown drilled a deep three to give the Dolphins an 88-87 lead, Troy called a timeout with 1.7 seconds on the clock advancing the ball to the offensive timeline. Kayla Robinson inbounded the ball to a wide open Rivers, who calmly banked in a layup for her only points of the contest and what proved to be the deciding basket.
Janiah Sandifer gave Troy (4-1) a seven-point advantage – its largest lead of the night – with a 3-pointer two minutes into the fourth quarter. Jacksonville (4-4) clawed back to within one before Amanda Mendoza's free throw with 17 seconds left made it a two-point contest setting the stage for the epic finish.
Brown led all scorers with 29 points including all five of the team's 3-pointers. Four Trojans scored in double-digits paced by Sky'Lynn Holmes with 17.
Jacksonville built a 10-point lead late in the third quarter, but Shaterrika O'Neal's jumper spurred an 8-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by Mendoza - the Trojans' first of the game. Troy was 31-of-62 (50 percent) from the field and added 22 points via the free throw line.
QUOTABLE
"It's incredible," Troy head coach Chanda Rigby said. "There were five points scored and two lead changes in the final two seconds, it was just exciting. [Kayla] Robinson made the perfect pass over a defender and Amber finished the play."
UP NEXT
Troy travels to take on No. 12 Tennessee on Wednesday. It will be the Trojans second of three trips to the Volunteer State in a three-week span.
NOTEWORTHY
• Sky'Lynn Holmes has scored in double-figures in three consecutive games.
• Troy has now scored 89-plus points in all five games this season.
• The Trojans have forced all five opponents this season into 20-plus turnovers.
• Troy missed its first six 3-point attempts before converting its last five to finish 5-for-11 in the game.
Mountaineers Upended at Home to UAB
BOONE, N.C. - App State University women's basketball (1-6) would come back to within single digits in the fourth quarter but fell short to UAB (5-1), 70-59, in the Holmes Center on Education Day in the afternoon.
LaPresha Stanley paced the offense with a career-high 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with five boards and a career-high five steals, while Tierra Wilson also scored 14 points. Bayley Plummer was one point shy of a second straight double-double where she scored nine points and amassed a game-high 12 off the glass while swatting away a personal-high four shots.
Trailing by as much as 22 (53-31) with 2:23 left in the third quarter, Wilson and Nicola Mathews canned back-to-back 3-pointers that sparked what became a 21-6 run over the next 7:57 into the fourth quarter. The run sliced the lead to 59-52 following a nicely-timed tip-in from Plummer for two of her seven fourth-quarter points. However, with App having the momentum and forcing a turnover, the Blazers responded by picking up consecutive steals for layups that turned a seven-point lead into 11 points. Plummer would score once again in the paint, but the visitors went on a 7-0 spurt to pull away late and claim the win. Appalachian outscored UAB, 20-15, and shot an impressive 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) from the field.
Facing a team coming in that was ranked 12th in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (42.9 percent), the Mountaineers held the Blazers in check as they shot just 33 percent from beyond the arc, which is the second-lowest shooting percentage this season. After the Blazers went 3-of-4 from deep in the first quarter, App held UAB to 3-for-14 shooting from 3-point land. Appalachian also made it tough for the Blazers' three leading scorers in Rachael Childress, Deanna Kuzmanic and Miyah Barnes, as the trio scored in double figures but shot a combined 13-of-30 from the floor for 33 points. UAB"s bench aided in the win as it had two double-figure scorers and outscored App's reserves, 28-8
In the opening frame, UAB's 50 percent shooting from the floor helped it build a 20-12 edge going into the second quarter. App would tie it up at 9-apiece after a Stanley jumper, but the Blazers took control with an 11-3 surge to end the period. UAB stayed in front by double digits for the second quarter with a 42-26 lead heading into the break.
In the third quarter, the visitors wouldn't relinquish the lead by less than 14 points until the Apps kicked into gear during the comeback.
Appalachian shot 60 percent in the second half, a vast improvement from the 35.7 percent clip in the opening stanza.
The Mountaineers will now start a stretch of four consecutive road games beginning with North Carolina on Sunday in Chapel Hill at 5:30 p.m.
Tip-Ins
- After shooting 2-for-4 from the field with eight points, Mathews is shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc on the season
- Since averaging 3.5 turnovers per game in the first four contests of the season, Wilson is turning the ball over just once per game over the last three matchups
- Wilson has scored in double figures in four out of seven games this season
- App's 72.7 percent clip from the floor in the fourth quarter was the highest shooting percentage in any period this season.
Third Quarter Lifts Houston To Comeback Win
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Houston used a third-quarter comeback to post a 62-58 win over the UTA Lady Mavericks on Friday night at College Park Center.
UTA (5-2) dominated the first half in the game, using a stifling defensive effort to build a 29-18 lead at intermission. Houston (6-2) answered out of the break to use a 30-13 advantage in the third quarter to earn the win, with UTA's fourth-quarter comeback bid falling short.
The Lady Mavs held Houston to 31-percent from the field and 13-percent from behind the arc but UTA committed 26 turnovers. The Lady Mavs outrebounded Houston, 48-37, owning a 25-14 advantage in bench points.
LEADING THE LADY MAVS
Senior Rebekah VanDijk turned in her 38th career double-double, owning 11 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman forward Jennifer Parker had eight points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Shelby Richards added nine points, with Brooke Alexander and Daiana Machado charting five points each, with Machado owning eight boards. Junior Lauren Billie and Sophomore Aysia Evans each had three points, with Miranda LeJune leading the team with four assists.
NEXT
The Lady Mavs will return to action on Wednesday, traveling to face Kansas State at 7 p.m. CT in Manhattan, Kan.
FIRST QUARTER
Allen wasted no time getting the Lady Mavs on the board with a triple, 40 seconds into the game. UTA built a 5-0 lead behind a pair of free throw from Machado, stretching its lead to 7-4 after VanDijk got her first bucket of the game on a nifty pass from Allen. A 12-foot jumper from Richards lifted UTA to a 9-4 lead with just under five minutes remaining. UTA's defense then held the Cougars scoreless for over three minutes, with UH 1-for-its-last-11, as the Lady Mavs took a 14-7 lead into the break. UH was held to 3-for-18 from the field, including missing on all eight attempts from behind the arc.
SECOND QUARTER
UTA's defensive pressure continued, holding Houston scoreless until the 7:07 mark. McGowen completed an and-one with a late drive and basket on the shot clock as the Lady Mavs took a 17-7 lead. Evans extended the lead with a free throw and Parker's offensive board and putback gave UTA a 13-point lead. VanDijk answered a UH run with an offensive board and putback to give UTA a 22-13 lead. Allen accounted for a five-point UTA stretch, sinking a triple with 2:30 left before swiping the ball and completing a breakaway layup to lift the Lady Mavs to a 28-15 lead. UTA held Houston without a field goal for the final six minutes of the half, taking a 29-18 lead.
THIRD QUARTER
Houston came out of the halftime hot, using a 6-0 run to force a UTA timeout with the Lady Mavs leading 29-24 with 7:36 left in the period. UH's comeback continued as the Cougs took the lead with a 13-1 run. McGowen got to the foul line and converted on a pair to give UTA a 32-21 lead but Houston answered with a triple. Richards answered with a floater off the glass, getting fouled to even it up at 34. Billie's 3 pointer with three minutes left cut the lead to 41-37. In the closing second of the period, a nifty pass found Alexander for an up-and-under layup to cut the lead to 48-42 at the break. Overall, the Cougars outscored the Lady Mavs 30-13 in the third quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
The Lady Mavs went on a 7-0 run out of the break to regain the lead, getting a triple from the wing from Alexander to start the comeback. UTA cut it to one as the Lady Mavs broke the full-court press and found Parker for a lay-in. Machado gave the Lady Mavs the lead at 49-48 and after Houston got on the board in the fourth, UTA found VanDijk in the paint for a 51-50 lead. After Houston took a one-point lead, UTA answered with another break of the press and VanDijk basket but UH answered with a three pointer to take a 55-53 lead with three minutes left. VanDijk completed her double-double and tied the game with a basket in the paint. Parker gave UTA a 57-55 lead with a jumper on an assist from Billie and extended the lead with 1:12 left in regulation with a free throw. Houston took advantage of a UTA turnover to get a bucket in transition and take a 59-57 lead with 35.8 left. On the following UTA possession, the Lady Mavs were whistled for a traveling violation, setting up the Cougs with possession, a one-point lead and just 17.7 seconds left. UTA got the Cougars to the foul line with 12.5 left.
Fourth-Quarter Struggles Cost Trojans at Saint Louis
ST. LOUIS – Outscored 17-6 in the fourth quarter, Little Rock women's basketball took a 48-45 loss to Saint Louis on Friday night at Chaifetz Arena.
Raeyana DeGray led the Trojans (2-4) in points for the second consecutive game with a game-high 14 as she went 5-for-11 from the field while making a career-high four free throws. Coming up a rebound shy of her second double-double of the season was Keanna Keys as she finished with nine rebounds and a season-high 12 points. Ronjanae DeGray earned a career-high 12 boards with six points. Monique Townson led the game with three steals and came up with five points, three rebounds and six assists. Kyra Collier had a game-high seven assists with six points, six rebounds and two steals.
Maddison Gits earned a double-double for the Billikens (4-5) as she finished with 11 rebounds and 10 points. Jackie Kemph led Saint Louis with 11 points and a team-high four assists. Jenny Vliet was the other Billiken with double-digit boards as she tallied 11.
Little Rock began the game with its lowest-scoring first quarter of the year as it led Saint Louis 8-6. Both sides posted less than ideal field goal percentages as Little Rock shot 28.6 percent (4-for-14) while Saint Louis shot 15.4 (2-for-13). Keys led the quarter with five boards while Collier posted two steals.
Both sides scored 14 points in the second quarter to give Little Rock a narrow 22-20 lead at the half. Raeyana DeGray ended the half with a game-high seven points as she went 3-for-7. Keys upped her rebound total to seven while Collier led the game with four assists and two steals.
Little Rock outscored Saint Louis 17-11 in the third quarter after shooting 50 percent (7-for-14). Up 28-26, the Trojans went on a 9-0 run to take their largest lead of the game at 37-26.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 39-31 lead, Little Rock went cold as it shot 20 percent (2-for-10) from the field while Saint Louis went 44.4 percent (4-for-9) from the field and 9-for-12 from the foul line. Tied at 45, Kemph put the Billikens up by two with a jumper before Jordan Frantz came up with a steal for Saint Louis. After Frantz made a free throw to put the Billikens up by three, the Trojans put up an unsuccessful three-point shot to end the game.
Although the Trojans finished with the higher field-goal percentage at 35.8 percent (19-for-53), the Trojans shot just 46.7 percent (7-for-15) from the foul line. The Billikens, on the other hand, made 77.8 percent (14-for-18) of their foul shots while shooting 32.6 percent (15-for-46) from the floor.
Little Rock finished the game with the advantage in rebounds (35-34), assists (15-11) and steals (9-5) while committing one less turnover (13-12). Saint Louis committed fewer fouls (15-13) and made just one more block (3-2).
The Trojans will now return home to face Missouri State on Monday night at 6:30.