{"id":354669,"date":"2025-12-17T21:02:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T21:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/354669\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T21:02:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T21:02:08","slug":"womens-basketball-ties-best-start-since-1991-92-with-dominant-victory-over-old-dominion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/354669\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Basketball Ties Best Start Since 1991-92 With Dominant Victory Over Old Dominion"},"content":{"rendered":"

NORFOLK, Va. \u2013 The Troy women’s basketball team used a 17-0 run in the second and third quarters to open Sun Belt Conference play with an 81-59 victory over Old Dominion on Wednesday night, tying its best start in program history (1991-92) at 10-1.
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\nThe Trojans (10-1, 1-0 SBC) open league play with a win for the first time since 2021-22, when they last won the regular season title. The victory also tied the all-time series with the Monarchs (7-4, 0-1 SBC) at two wins apiece.
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\nZay Dyer<\/a> and Fortuna Ngnawo<\/a> combined for 40 points, 31 rebounds and six steals, each recording a double-double. Dyer finished three points shy of her career-high with 25 points to on 9-of-18 shooting and added 15 rebounds. Ngnawo grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds while posting 15 points on 7-of-10 at the free throw line. Troy scored 29 points from the free-throw line, shooting 29-of-36 overall. Rachel Leggett<\/a> went a perfect 7-of-7 at the line to finish with 13 points.
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\nOld Dominion was outrebounded 52-40 in the loss and allowed Troy to go 29-of-36 at the charity stripe on 25 fouls. Thirteen Monarchs scored, led by Simaru Fields as the lone player in double-figures with 10 points. Riley Stack also managed five points, nine rebounds and two blocks before fouling out.
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\n1-0
\nTroy took the early 5-0 lead after Old Dominion was assessed a technical foul before the game started due to arena malfunctions. Leilani Guion<\/a> hit the free throw before Ngnawo dished it to Dyer for the fastbreak layup and hit a pair at the free throw line with 8:51 left in the first.
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\nEn’dya Buford brought ODU back within a possession with a triple at the 4:22 mark, before Troy launched a 9-2 run over the next 2:47 for a 19-9 lead. The run included a steal-and-score from Ngnawo to Dyer, a pair of free throws from Leggett and an and-one by Saniya Jackson<\/a>.
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\nAfter the Monarchs brought the margin to five to end the first quarter, 19-14, Emani Jenkins<\/a> brought the advantage back to 10, 24-14, with a second-chance layup and her first triple in the first 50 seconds of the second.
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\nAgain, ODU brought the margin to a possession, 28-27, before Troy launched a 14-2 run in the final 3:26, holding Old Dominion scoreless in the final 2:12. The run opened with an and-one from Ngnawo and ended on a buzzer-beater by Jackson to enter the break with a 42-29 lead.
\n\u00a0
\nTroy ended the first half on a 6-0 run and continued it with an 11-0 run in the first 4:11 of the third quarter for a 24-point advantage, 53-29. The Trojans earned two and-ones in the run from Ngnawo and Leggett.
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\nThrough the rest of the third quarter, the Trojans maintained on 7-of-7 at the charity stripe to enter the final quarter up 20, 61-41. More free throws from Leggett, Ngnawo and Dyer pushed the lead to 22, 65-43, with 7:20 left in the fourth.
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\nDyer gave Troy its largest lead of the game, 70-44, with 6:12 remaining, finishing off a jumper on an assist from Jenkins, who made a triple the possession before. They coasted from there for a 22-point victory in the Sun Belt opener.
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\nHead Coach Chanda Rigby<\/a>
\n“I’m obviously very proud of how the team played today. To start 1-0 on the road in such a hard place to play, against such a historic program, is incredible. Everyone helped in one way or another. We were up 13 at the end of the half, but we didn’t have to fight complacency. They went out in the second half and played even better than in the first. It seemed like all night, we were winning the fight for rebounds. They were flying in and commanding respect. And I have to give a ton of credit to my coaching staff. They got these girls ready and kept them hungry. When we came here yesterday, it felt like something was different about Zay. And I was hoping it was because Sun Belt play was starting up. And lo and behold, she doesn’t take a single play off. Now, we have a great opportunity to stay in-state, take our momentum on the road to Alabama, and see what we can do.”
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\nUp Next
\nTroy pauses league play for its second-to-last nonconference game against Alabama on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m.
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\nSun Belt Opener Stats
\n\u2022 Troy opened SBC play 1-0 for the first time since 2021-22 and the sixth time in head coach Chanda Rigby<\/a>‘s tenure.
\n\u2022 For the 14th straight game, Fortuna Ngnawo<\/a> ended with 10-plus points in the scoring column at 12.
\n\u2022 With the victory, Troy ties its best start in program history (1991-92) at 10-1.
\n\u2022 Fortuna Ngnawo<\/a> seized a career-high in rebounds with 17 \u2013 her previous high was 13, twice.
\n\u2022 Troy ties the all-time series with Old Dominion at two wins apiece.
\n\u2022 Emani Jenkins<\/a> hits three 3-pointers for her seventh game with three or more triples. She’s hit 33 in her last nine games.
\n\u2022 Troy forced ODU into 25 fouls to shoot 29-of-36 at the charity stripe.
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