Around the Wall – February 1, 2022
Around the Wall is a weekly look at Troy Athletics, recapping the previous week and looking ahead to the next opponent.
Be sure to subscribe to get Around the Wall every week!
Men’s Basketball
Record: 14-7, 5-3 (t-3rd Sun Belt)
Upcoming opponents: @ Georgia State (Thursday), @ Georgia Southern (Saturday)
Stat of the week: Troy leads the conference in steals with 180
We’re gonna remember that Saturday game for a LONG time, but it’s also important to remember we split the series with that team in Mobile. The two main differences (besides the home-court crowd) were turnovers and shooting. Troy committed five fewer turnovers and made three more shots (including one more three-pointer) on Saturday.
On the other side, the bad guys were actually more successful beyond the arc, but dropped off in free throws and field goals. One team showed up, the other didn’t.
Coming up on the schedule, we have two teams that are struggling to stay above .500. The mighty Georgia State just won/lost the battle for the bottom of the conference with ULM and Georgia Southern is only above them because they’ve played fewer games. Hopefully this translates to a win streak for Troy before No. 2 Arkansas State comes to town.
Women’s Basketball
Record: 15-7, 6-2 (t-2nd Sun Belt)
Upcoming opponents: South Alabama (Saturday)
Stat of the week: Troy has played more games than any other team in the conference (23), leads the league in offensive rebounds and ranks third in points per game.
Georgia Southern kept it close until the last three minutes of the game last Thursday, but Jasmine Robinson dropped 16, Felmas Koranga picked up a double-double and Tina Stephens snuck out with 13 points of her own.
In Saturday’s game Robinson dropped 15, again leading the team. Janiah Sandifer picked up ten, but Koranga was three points shy of another double-double. This team is holding its own, putting itself in positions to win, and shutting down opposition when it needs to.
The Trojans don’t have a weekday matchup until the 17th, but they play that team from Mobile at home and on the road the next two weekends. They are struggling to stay above .500 themselves, so maybe that’s the help Troy needs to get back in first place.
Women’s Golf
Rank: 170th Nationally, 6th Sun Belt
Upcoming events: Lady Bison Bay Point Classic (Panama City Beach, hosted by Lipscomb)
Stat of the week: ShaeLee Scarberry ranks 6th in the conference with an average score of 73.27
The women’s golf team heads right down 231 to tee off their first event since October, and their first event in Florida since September. The Trojans finished 5th of 8 in an event hosted by Jacksonville University, then finished 7th of 15 in an Arkansas State Classic.
The Trojans are still technically defending their fourth-place finish in 2019, as the last round of last year’s conference tournament was canceled. With six spring tournaments on the schedule, the Trojans have plenty of time to pick up steam before heading down to Daytona Beach.
Men’s Tennis
Record: 4-2 (2nd Sun Belt)
Upcoming opponents: @ Alabama State, Alabama A&M (Friday)
Stat of the week: Carlos Anton is 5-1 in singles, but he and Pelayo Atuna lead the conference with a 4-0 record in doubles.
The Trojans may as well be on a 4-match winning streak, losing just a single match over the last three competitions. The fourth, a 1-6 loss to Miami, was a pyrrhic victory. Carlos Anton took down the No. 121-ranked Dan Martin in the Trojans’ only match win that day.
The Trojans head up the road today to take on Alabama State before hosting Alabama A&M this weekendโtwo teams just getting their seasons started. The Hornets beat/lost to AUM Friday, and the Bulldogs beat/lost to Mercer on Saturday. Troy should keep the streak going.
Women’s Tennis
Record: 0-1 (10th Sun Belt, but who’s counting right now?)
Upcoming opponents: at Stetson (Saturday), at Bethune-Cookman (Sunday)
Stat of the week: Michelle Ncube has won the Trojans’ only set so far this year… but they’ve only played Alabama so far this year.
The Trojans were swept by Bama to start the season, but they’ll take a trip to Florida this weekend, where they should get back on track.
Again, their season is just beginning. There’s plenty to watch between now and April.
Indoor Track and Field
Record: 28th South (Men), 37th South (Women), NR National
Upcoming opponents: Camel City Invitational
Stat of the week: Edita Sklenska won the Women’s 800 Meter Run at the Carolina Challenge.
The Trojans were competitive at UAB and South Carolina’s invitational events. In the most recent meet, the Carolina Challenge, Troy women specifically outperformed some nationally-ranked teams in running events.
We might see even more dominance at this year’s Sun Belt tournament compared with last year’s wins.
One Cool Thing
This absolute MONSTER of a dunk from the win over South Saturday night.
FYI: RE: Women’s Golf…Nicole Lorup transferred to UNLV and has not been at Troy since last Spring season.