Troy cruises past Texas State 84-50 to stay atop Sun Belt standings
The Troy women’s basketball Trojans kept their home magic going with an 84-50 win over the last-place Texas State Bobcats on Thursday night.
Japonica James recorded a double-double and Amber Rivers became the 24th Trojan in history to reach the 1,000 career points mark with eight points against Texas State.
Troy stayed on brand in its win by dominating the boards and pulling away despite a poor start from the floor. The Trojans entered the game just 10th in the Sun Belt in field goal percentage but shot 45.8 percent as a team and used a stifling defense combined with dominating the second chance points to run through the Bobcats.
Troy struggled from the floor in the first quarter, making just five of 16 attempts and going on a 2:31 scoring drought in which the Bobcats went on a 7-0 run.
Seven turnovers and a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Bobcat guard Ja’Kayla Bowie contributed to a 17-13 deficit at the end of the opening quarter.
“We were doing ok on defense but we were turning the ball over,” head coach Chanda Rigby said after the game. “We were a little anxious, dribbling off each other’s feet. We had seven turnovers in the first quarter so that’s not acceptable.”
James nearly single-handedly turned the game in the second half. The senior scored 12 points in the second quarter, including nine consecutive for Troy. James came close to a first half double-double with 16 points and eight rebounds.
The Mobile native had six of her boards in the second quarter where the Trojans outrebounded Texas State 19-5 to turn the tide against the Bobcats.
“She’s an important part of our team,” guard Jasmine Robinson said after the game. “She’s shooting over 50 percent so it’s important we do get her the ball so she can score for us.”
Robinson would finish with a career high nine assists to go along with nine points.
“It’s a part of my character,” Robinson said. “I’m just a very unselfish person so being able to find them and see them is an important part of my game.”
Texas State went over six minutes without a point and a 15-1 run pushed Troy out to a 35-26 halftime lead. Robinson credited the coaching staff for helping turn the game around.
“The coaches they talked to us heavily and made sure we were encouraged,” Robinson said. “We just had to stay on each other and make sure we push each other.”
Troy cruised through the second half, outscoring Texas State 49-24 and holding the Bobcats to just 18.8 percent from the field.
Troy stepped on the gas in the third quarter, scoring 27 points behind 10 from James on 5-5 shooting. Rivers hit the millennial mark in the fourth quarter and joined teammate Kayla Robinson as 1,000 point scorers.
“It means a lot to me because I didn’t get 1,000 points in high school,” Rivers said after the game. “That’s something I was aiming for when I got here.”
Rigby says having two players on the roster reach the milestone gives Troy an advantage before the game even starts.
“It helps when other teams come in here and try to prepare for us with scouting reports when you have two players on your team with 1,000 points,” Rigby said. “Really those (points) were not scored in the paint, which is what we’re trying to push is scoring in the paint. So it just makes us more balanced. It makes coaches have to prepare for more players.”
James tied her career high in points with 28 on 10-13 shooting and pulled down 11 rebounds. Alexus Dye also registered a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds.
As a team, Troy outrebounded Texas State 65-27. The Trojans’ +38 rebounding margin was higher than Texas State’s season average for rebounds in a game (35.8).
“So proud of that because the number one thing we stress every day is rebounding,” Rigby said. “Not scoring, not defense, the thing we stress the most on a consistent basis is rebounding. It makes us feel good because they’re taking instruction and taking that day to day and getting better. It really makes us proud of the team.”
The efforts led to a 22-4 advantage in second chance points scoring. In total, Troy found 50 of its points in the paint while holding the Bobcats to just 14 in the same region.
Troy stays at home for a pivotal matchup with Texas-Arlington on Saturday. The Trojans and Mavericks will head into the game tied for first in the Sun Belt at 6-1. The contest will tip at 2:00 pm and is game one of a double-header inside Trojan Arena.