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Forty-seven points separated Troy and Texas State as Troy shattered the opposition, 105-58, on Thursday afternoon in the Strahan Arena on the largest Sun Belt road margin of victory in program history.
For the second time in a week, the Trojans (13-7, 7-1 SBC) set season-highs shooting from deep (14-of-28 – 50 percent) and the field (37-of-68 – 54.4 percent). Meanwhile, Troy held the Bobcats (9-9, 3-5 SBC) to 28.4 percent from the floor and 25 percent from deep to secure a seventh straight win.
Emani Jenkins led Troy with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. She shined from behind the arc, going 6-of-8 from deep to tie for the second-most triples by a D-I player at Troy – her 22 points also set a career-high. Jenkins combined with Briana Peguero (4) and Ashley Baez (3) for 13 of Troy’s triples. Peguero went 4-of-5 from deep for 17 points, marking her sixth straight game in double-figures. Her fellow backcourt member Baez ended with 11 points on 3-of-6 from 3-point range as she returned to double-figures for the 16th time. Baez also had two steals for her 11th game with multiple swipes.
The fifth Trojan to end with 10-plus points was Brianna Jackson, who finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and a team-high two blocks. The Sun Belt Conference leader in boards (10.5), Zay Dyer, also returned to double-digit rebounds (11) for the first time since Georgia State (Jan. 11), as all Trojans that checked in ended with a bucket and rebound. Khila Morris silently shined off the bench as the team’s leader in assists (5) and steals (4) as she shot 2-of-2 from the field and free throw line for six points.
Morgan Hill was the lone player in today’s game with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Texas State’s leading scorer was Jaylin Foster, who scored 12 points and five rebounds, and Saniya Burks was one point behind with 11. Overall, Texas State’s top three scorers shot 11-of-28 as Troy held them to the lowest shooting percentage by an opposition this season at 28.4 percent – Texas State shot 1-of-13 in the third quarter for 7.7 percent.
Over From the Tip
Troy led from the opening tip as Jackson scored on the first possession, and Baez followed with a triple off the turnover, 5-0, in the first 0:37. Troy finished a 7-0 run in the first 1:17 when Baez and Jackson combined efforts for a bucket inside.
The Bobcats had the response as they cut the deficit to two points on three occasions, including off a triple for Destiny Terrell, 12-10, at the 4:06 mark. Leilani Guion responded with back-to-back buckets, including a triple, 17-10, with 5:02 remaining, and the Trojans never looked back.
Troy wouldn’t allow Texas State to score again in the first quarter while Fortuna Ngnawo (4), Dyer (1), Baez (3) and Jackson (2) all contributed to a 17-point advantage, 27-10, to end the first quarter.
The second quarter saw the onslaught continue as Jenkins drilled her first triple of the ballgame 0:44 in, 30-10. Troy would outscore Texas State 25-14 to head into the locker room with a 52-24 lead. In the first 20 minutes, Troy shot 21-of-32 for 65.6 percent on the floor while hitting 6-of-12 from deep. On the defensive end, Troy held the Bobcats to just eight made field goals on 34 attempts for 23.5 percent.
Peguero set the tone for the second half, coming out of the locker room and knocking down the triple, 55-24, 0:22 into the third quarter. The margin kept widening as the Bobcats hit one field goal the entire quarter, collecting eight points from the charity stripe (8-of-8). Rather, the Trojans had their most points in a quarter for the ballgame, ending with 30 points on four triples to walk into the fourth with a 47-point lead, 82-35.
Troy’s lead peaked at 49, 88-42, 1:37 into the final quarter when Baez grabbed her final points from deep. Despite the Bobcats cutting the margin to 39, 90-51, on a 12-2 run, back-to-back triples from Peguero and Jenkins pushed the lead back to 45, 96-51, at the 6:11 mark. With 7:58 remaining, Jenkins made her sixth triple to push Troy over the 100-point mark, 101-56, and Troy held onto a 47-point victory in the Strahan Arena.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
“It’s a very special day here in Texas State after facing a lot of adversity. Half of our team was grounded at the airport in Atlanta, and we had to adjust and leave early due to the weather. Yet, despite all that, this team set out to do something special today, and they did. A lot of what we did really special was the way we shot the basketball. We made 14 triples, and that adds up very quickly. Add in our ability to change our defenses. We adapted really quickly, and our bench came in and had big games. All glory to God. We normally recruit players who can rebound, but this year, it’s different because of Emani and Briana, who can and have hit big shots consistently. Now, I’ve done this for a long time, and I know our next game is a trap game. We have to look at the next one like a street dog fight. But for now, I want to go congratulate our people.”
Round Two
The Trojans face Louisiana for the second matchup of 2024-25 on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Cajundome.
(Press Release from Troy University)
