Zay Dyer posts a monster double-double as Troy outclasses App State 19–10 in the final quarter to stay hot in the Sun Belt title race.
Up just one entering the final 10 minutes, the Troy Trojans women’s basketball flipped the switch in the fourth quarter, outscoring Appalachian State Mountaineers women’s basketball 19–10 to pull away for a 69–59 victory Wednesday night. The win marked Troy’s ninth straight overall and continued its steady march toward the top of the Sun Belt Conference standings.
The Trojans improved to 19–4 overall and 10–2 in league play, moving within a half-game of first-place Arkansas State. App State fell to 10–12 (3–9 SBC), officially eliminating itself from contention for a bye into the conference semifinals.
Dyer Dominates, Jenkins Delivers the Daggers
Zay Dyer was everywhere. The junior forward turned in one of the most dominant performances of the Sun Belt season, finishing with 20 points, 19 rebounds, and four blocks for her 15th double-double — extending her conference lead.
Fortuna Ngnawo added her own double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds, while Emani Jenkins provided the knockout blows late. Jenkins drilled two clutch three-pointers during a decisive fourth-quarter run, finishing with 13 points and reaching 71 made threes on the season, becoming just the third Division I player in program history to hit 70 or more in a single year.
Troy also controlled the tempo, scoring 10 fast-break points while holding App State to 0, a key separator in a physical, half-court battle.
Fourth Quarter, Troy’s Quarter
After App State briefly grabbed a 42–41 lead midway through the third, Troy steadied itself behind second-chance points from Dyer and entered the fourth up 50–49. The Mountaineers tied it at 54 with 4:54 remaining, but that’s when Jenkins took over.
Back-to-back threes — both assisted — sparked an 8–0 run that swung momentum for good. Troy stretched the lead to double digits late and slammed the door defensively, allowing just one field goal over the final minutes.
The Mountaineers placed four players in double figures, led by Daisia Mitchell (12), but Troy’s defense bottled up leading scorer Emma Smith, limiting her to four points on 2-of-11 shooting.
Second-Quarter Separation
The foundation was laid in the second quarter, when Troy turned a three-point deficit into a commanding edge. A 14–0 run flipped the game, fueled by offensive rebounding, transition defense, and interior scoring. At the half, Troy had outrebounded App State 31–18 and held the Mountaineers under 30 percent shooting.
With the win, head coach Chanda Rigby tied Joyce Sorrell for the most victories in Troy women’s basketball history (274) — another milestone in a season already trending toward something special.
“We’ve got to keep imposing our will,” Rigby said postgame. “Teams are going to be physical, try to slow us down, and attack the glass. We have to be even better as we move forward.”
What’s Next
Troy steps out of conference play Saturday, Feb. 7, traveling to Ball State for the second round of the MAC–SBC Challenge before resuming its Sun Belt title push.
======
-- By Amelia Nettles
© 2026 JWT Communications. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or distributed in any form without written permission.
No comments:
Post a Comment