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TROY, Ala. – Marshall narrowed the gap to a single possession with just over a minute left before Troy concluded with a 9-1 scoring run to secure a 4-0 record in Trojan Arena with an 80-69 triumph over the reigning league champions on Saturday night.
The Trojans rise above .500 for the first time in 2024-25, boasting an 8-7, 2-1 SBC record, while preventing the Thundering Herd (5-9, 0-3 SBC) from achieving a win to start Sun Belt Conference action. Troy also improves to 2-0 against Marshall, marking the first victory over this opponent at Trojan Arena.
When Shaulana Wagner went down in the latter half, head coach Chanda Rigby turned to Briana Peguero and Khila Morris off the bench, and they delivered, together totaling 30 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Morris achieved a career-high with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. She also went flawless at the free-throw line (2-of-2) and from three-point range (1-of-1). Peguero stepped up as a hero for the second consecutive game with a team-leading 17 points, going 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. Additionally, she matched her career-high with seven rebounds and three assists, contributed two steals, and recorded a block. Among the starters, Zay Dyer secured her SBC-leading eighth double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Aislynn Hayes led the night for Marshall with 18 points, five assists, five steals, and four rebounds. However, No. 10 struggled with efficiency, shooting 5-of-18 from the field. Meredith Maier (15) and Madison Kellione (12) also reached double figures, combining for 27 points. Again, shooting efficiency was lacking, as the duo combined for 9-of-31. The Thundering Herd faced tough challenges on the boards as a team, trailing 51-30 in the defeat. Troy capitalized with 18 offensive rebounds, leading to 22 second-chance points.
Intercepted … Dagger
The third period saw Troy assert total control. After starting the second half down by three, 33-30, Brianna Jackson initiated the scoring for Troy with a second-chance layup, benefiting from a Dyer assist, bringing the score to 33-32 at the 1:28 mark. The Trojans outperformed Marshall 24-13 in the third quarter on 57.1 percent shooting, capped off by a three-pointer from Leilani Guion, ending the period at 56-45. Additionally, Troy limited Marshall to 5-of-16 shooting (31.3 percent) and dominated the rebounding battle, 15-5.
Ashley Baez maintained the momentum in the first 12 seconds of the fourth quarter, catching a pass from Emani Jenkins and sinking a corner three-pointer, marking Troy’s largest lead at 14, 59-45. Troy sustained the lead through the initial part of the fourth, never letting the margin fall below seven, as Morris converted a jumper with 5:04 left, stretching the lead back to nine, 65-56.
Nevertheless, four free throws from Maier within a 22-second span allowed Marshall to come back into the contest, trailing by five, 65-60, with 4:14 remaining. The Thundering Herd continued to push back, reducing the margin to a single possession three times, including at the 8:39 mark when Hayes hit a three-pointer, 71-68.
The pivotal moment arrived 11 seconds later as Peguero found Jackson in the paint, and she scored, 73-68. Then, unexpectedly, Baez intercepted the inbound pass and converted her eighth point, landing the dagger shot, 75-68. Blessing King made one more free throw for Marshall, but all hopes were thwarted when Peguero completed her flawless night at the free-throw line, finishing 4-of-4 in the final seconds to elevate Troy above .500, 80-69.
Game of Runs
The game featured various scoring runs in the first half as Marshall struck first, establishing the lead with an 8-0 run to gain a 17-10 advantage with 2:35 left in the first. Maier wrapped up the run for the Thundering Herd with a layup after driving inside.
The Trojans retaliated early in the second stanza when Guion took command. First, Morris collected an offensive rebound and found No. 35 beyond the arc, hitting to narrow the gap to three, 22-19, at the 1:04 mark. On the subsequent Troy possession, Guion tipped in the miss from Baez, making it 22-21 with 8:19 left in the first half.
Marshall responded with a 9-2 run over the next 2:09, 31-23, with a second-chance bucket from Dyer at the 3:50 mark being the only score for Troy during that stretch.
Both teams exchanged turnovers before Troy flipped the narrative with the last scoring of the first half. Dyer sparked a 7-2 run for the Trojans with a tip-in of a missed three-pointer, bringing it to 31-25 with 3:43 remaining. Peguero followed by rejecting Kellione’s shot and making a three-pointer with 2:30 left, 31-28. TreShondra Williams interrupted the run with a pull-up jumper in the paint, 33-28. But Fortuna Ngnawo, Morris, and Peguero connected on a fast break to finish the first half with the last points, making it 33-30 and cutting the gap to a single possession.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
“Yet another fantastic evening in Trojan Arena. Marshall came out with an excellent game strategy. They were frequently tripling our post players, and we had to make adjustments. They were hitting shots while we were working on our responses. We regrouped at halftime and gained a fresh perspective. I was genuinely proud of the team for staying composed and wanting to dominate in the second half. We achieved 34 points from the bench, which is significant. Peguero shone once again with a phenomenal night. Meanwhile, Morris had her finest performance in a Trojan uniform. I’m truly proud of our bench players as enhancing bench scoring has been one of our goals.”
To Boone, We Go
Troy will head north to Boone, N.C., to take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 11 a.m.
Homestand Numbers
• Troy remains undefeated against Marshall, improving to 2-0 against the defending SBC champions by a combined victory margin of plus-10.5.
• For the fifth time under Rigby, the Trojans achieve a 4-0 record at home (2015-16, 2017-18, 2019-20, 2021-22) and 2-0 to start SBC play in Trojan Arena (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20).
• Dyer recorded her eighth double-double of the season and her team-leading 16thin the Georgia native’s career with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
• The third quarter was decisive as the Trojans shot 8-of-14 from the field (57.1 percent) and 6-of-8 (75.0 percent) at the free-throw line while restricting Marshall to 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) and no attempts.
• Baez set a new career-high with seven rebounds – her previous best was six against Toledo (Dec. 18, 2024).
• Troy shot 86.7 percent from the charity stripe compared to Marshall, improving to 7-1, 1-0 SBC when shooting above 70 percent at the line.
The Trojans rise above .500 for the first time in 2024-25, boasting an 8-7, 2-1 SBC record, while preventing the Thundering Herd (5-9, 0-3 SBC) from achieving a win to start Sun Belt Conference action. Troy also improves to 2-0 against Marshall, marking the first victory over this opponent at Trojan Arena.
When Shaulana Wagner went down in the latter half, head coach Chanda Rigby turned to Briana Peguero and Khila Morris off the bench, and they delivered, together totaling 30 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Morris achieved a career-high with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. She also went flawless at the free-throw line (2-of-2) and from three-point range (1-of-1). Peguero stepped up as a hero for the second consecutive game with a team-leading 17 points, going 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. Additionally, she matched her career-high with seven rebounds and three assists, contributed two steals, and recorded a block. Among the starters, Zay Dyer secured her SBC-leading eighth double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Aislynn Hayes led the night for Marshall with 18 points, five assists, five steals, and four rebounds. However, No. 10 struggled with efficiency, shooting 5-of-18 from the field. Meredith Maier (15) and Madison Kellione (12) also reached double figures, combining for 27 points. Again, shooting efficiency was lacking, as the duo combined for 9-of-31. The Thundering Herd faced tough challenges on the boards as a team, trailing 51-30 in the defeat. Troy capitalized with 18 offensive rebounds, leading to 22 second-chance points.
Intercepted … Dagger
The third period saw Troy assert total control. After starting the second half down by three, 33-30, Brianna Jackson initiated the scoring for Troy with a second-chance layup, benefiting from a Dyer assist, bringing the score to 33-32 at the 1:28 mark. The Trojans outperformed Marshall 24-13 in the third quarter on 57.1 percent shooting, capped off by a three-pointer from Leilani Guion, ending the period at 56-45. Additionally, Troy limited Marshall to 5-of-16 shooting (31.3 percent) and dominated the rebounding battle, 15-5.
Ashley Baez maintained the momentum in the first 12 seconds of the fourth quarter, catching a pass from Emani Jenkins and sinking a corner three-pointer, marking Troy’s largest lead at 14, 59-45. Troy sustained the lead through the initial part of the fourth, never letting the margin fall below seven, as Morris converted a jumper with 5:04 left, stretching the lead back to nine, 65-56.
Nevertheless, four free throws from Maier within a 22-second span allowed Marshall to come back into the contest, trailing by five, 65-60, with 4:14 remaining. The Thundering Herd continued to push back, reducing the margin to a single possession three times, including at the 8:39 mark when Hayes hit a three-pointer, 71-68.
The pivotal moment arrived 11 seconds later as Peguero found Jackson in the paint, and she scored, 73-68. Then, unexpectedly, Baez intercepted the inbound pass and converted her eighth point, landing the dagger shot, 75-68. Blessing King made one more free throw for Marshall, but all hopes were thwarted when Peguero completed her flawless night at the free-throw line, finishing 4-of-4 in the final seconds to elevate Troy above .500, 80-69.
Game of Runs
The game featured various scoring runs in the first half as Marshall struck first, establishing the lead with an 8-0 run to gain a 17-10 advantage with 2:35 left in the first. Maier wrapped up the run for the Thundering Herd with a layup after driving inside.
The Trojans retaliated early in the second stanza when Guion took command. First, Morris collected an offensive rebound and found No. 35 beyond the arc, hitting to narrow the gap to three, 22-19, at the 1:04 mark. On the subsequent Troy possession, Guion tipped in the miss from Baez, making it 22-21 with 8:19 left in the first half.
Marshall responded with a 9-2 run over the next 2:09, 31-23, with a second-chance bucket from Dyer at the 3:50 mark being the only score for Troy during that stretch.
Both teams exchanged turnovers before Troy flipped the narrative with the last scoring of the first half. Dyer sparked a 7-2 run for the Trojans with a tip-in of a missed three-pointer, bringing it to 31-25 with 3:43 remaining. Peguero followed by rejecting Kellione’s shot and making a three-pointer with 2:30 left, 31-28. TreShondra Williams interrupted the run with a pull-up jumper in the paint, 33-28. But Fortuna Ngnawo, Morris, and Peguero connected on a fast break to finish the first half with the last points, making it 33-30 and cutting the gap to a single possession.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
“Yet another fantastic evening in Trojan Arena. Marshall came out with an excellent game strategy. They were frequently tripling our post players, and we had to make adjustments. They were hitting shots while we were working on our responses. We regrouped at halftime and gained a fresh perspective. I was genuinely proud of the team for staying composed and wanting to dominate in the second half. We achieved 34 points from the bench, which is significant. Peguero shone once again with a phenomenal night. Meanwhile, Morris had her finest performance in a Trojan uniform. I’m truly proud of our bench players as enhancing bench scoring has been one of our goals.”
To Boone, We Go
Troy will head north to Boone, N.C., to take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 11 a.m.
Homestand Numbers
• Troy remains undefeated against Marshall, improving to 2-0 against the defending SBC champions by a combined victory margin of plus-10.5.
• For the fifth time under Rigby, the Trojans achieve a 4-0 record at home (2015-16, 2017-18, 2019-20, 2021-22) and 2-0 to start SBC play in Trojan Arena (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20).
• Dyer recorded her eighth double-double of the season and her team-leading 16thin the Georgia native’s career with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
• The third quarter was decisive as the Trojans shot 8-of-14 from the field (57.1 percent) and 6-of-8 (75.0 percent) at the free-throw line while restricting Marshall to 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) and no attempts.
• Baez set a new career-high with seven rebounds – her previous best was six against Toledo (Dec. 18, 2024).
• Troy shot 86.7 percent from the charity stripe compared to Marshall, improving to 7-1, 1-0 SBC when shooting above 70 percent at the line.
This page was generated automatically; to view the article in its initial location, please follow the link below:
https://troytrojans.com/news/2025/1/4/basketball-w-troy-thwarts-late-rally-to-knock-off-marshall
and should you wish to have this article removed from our website, kindly reach out to us
