NEW ORLEANS – A slate of seven conference clashes are on tap for Saturday as Sun Belt women’s basketball caps its fourth week of league play.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
ROYAL RIVALRY: James Madison (13-5, 5-1 SBC) welcomes Old Dominion (12-4, 4-2 SBC) for another edition of the Royal Rivalry Challenge on Saturday. The Dukes are coming off a commanding victory over Georgia Southern on Thursday, 72-51, where they held the visiting Eagles to a season-low 26.7 percent (16-of-60) from the field. James Madison dominated on the glass 50-35 and outscored Georgia Southern in the paint 42-22. The Monarchs will look to bounce back after falling to Sun Belt leading Marshall on Thursday evening, 90-60. Despite Thursday’s setback, Old Dominion still paces the Sun Belt holding opponents to 56.3 points per game. Heading into Saturday’s contest, the Monarchs hold a 51-25 advantage in the all-time series history. James Madison has come out on top in the last eight meetings between the two squads, including a 70-64 victory in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Championship in Pensacola, Fla. a year ago.
BEEMAN IS BEAMING: Marshall’s Abby Beeman became only the fifth player in NCAA Division I women’s basketball to notch multiple triple-doubles this season with a 15 point, 11 rebound and 11 assist performance in the Herd’s dominant 90-60 victory over Old Dominion on Thursday. In her second season suited up for the Herd, Beeman has helped her squad to its best start in league play (6-0 SBC) since the 1988-89 campaign when Marshall won eight straight. Thursday’s win also marked the largest margin of victory for the program in conference play in five seasons.
RIGBY IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Troy (8-8, 5-1 SBC) held off Texas State, 92-85, on Thursday night in Strahan Arena to earn its fifth straight victory in Sun Belt play and reach a .500 overall record. The victory marked head coach Chanda Rigby’s 136
th against a Sun Belt opponent, earning sole possession of third in all-time wins in Sun Belt games. Since taking over the program in 2012, Rigby has made Troy a perennial championship and NCAA Tournament contender. Rigby's impressive resume includes seven 20+ win seasons, three Sun Belt Tournament Championships, two Sun Belt Regular Season Titles, three trips to the NCAA Tournament, seven postseason appearances, 20 all-conference selections, five Sun Belt Post Season Award winners, a Sun Belt Player of the Year honoree and a Sun Belt Coach of the Year honor.
IZZY THE ACE: Izzy Higginbottom connected on 13-of-21 from the field to lead Arkansas State with 32 points in the Red Wolves’ road victory over South Alabama on Thursday, 78-69. The 30+ point performance marked Higginbottom’s conference-best fourth of the season. The junior guard was named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year midseason watch list earlier this week.
GREAT ON THE GLASS: The Sun Belt boasts three Top 25 teams dominating on the glass this season. Georgia Southern holds onto the No. 2 spot nationally with 49.00 rebounds per game. Georgia Southern’s 18.9 offensive boards per game also leads NCAA Division I. James Madison, pulling down 47.17 boards per game, checks in at fifth nationally while Troy’s 44.38 rebounds per game ranks 13
th.
IMPACT PLAYERS – Sun Belt Statistical Leaders (Conference Games Only)
Points Per Game: Domonique Davis, USM (22.8)
Rebounds Per Game: Makaila Cange, CCU (10.8)
Assists Per Game: Abby Beeman, MAR (6.5)
Blocks Per Game: Mahogany Matthews, Marshall (3.2)
Steals Per Game: Kaye Clark, Old Dominion (4.3)
WHERE TO WATCH
All Times CT