Troy women dominate Coastal, advance to semifinals

Troy’s women’s basketball team advanced to the Sun Belt Conference tournament semi-finals for the sixth time in the last seven seasons following a dominant 99-77 victory over Coastal Carolina Friday.

Troy started the game on a solid note. The Trojans hit key shots and forced turnovers in the first quarter.

Both teams struggled to keep possession of the ball, however. In the first quarter alone, there were 16 turnovers between the two teams. Coastal led 18-17 after the first, but it was all Trojans from that point on. 

The Trojans outscored Coastal Carolina 29-16 in the second quarter, taking a 46-34 lead into halftime.

The third and fourth quarters belonged to the Trojans as their commanding lead continued to expand. Troy used mid-range jump shots to their advantage against a Coastal team that struggled to guard the Trojans in the paint.

For the game, Troy shot 47.1 percent from the floor on 33-of-70 attempts. The Chanticleers shot 38.8 percent on 26-of-67 attempts.

Beyond the arc, the Trojans finished at 36.4 percent. The Chants shot just 11 percent from the three-point line.

Jhileiya Dunlap led the Trojans with a career-high 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the floor and 1-for-2 at the free throw line. Dunlap also pulled down four rebounds in 13 minutes on the court.

Tina Stephens added 14 points of her own. Felmas Koranga and Janiah Sandifer both finished with 11 in the game. Koranga also pulled down 12 rebounds, adding up to her 15th double-double of the season.

For the Chanticleers, Aja Blount led the team with 22 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the floor, seeing 36 minutes of court action. Blount also finished the game 12-for-16 at the free throw line.

Arin Freeman added 13 and Janeen Camp scored 12 for Coastal. Off the bench, Deaja Richardson scored 14 points, with 28 minutes on the floor.

The Trojans finished with a 45-39 advantage in rebounds. Coastal committed 27 fouls in the loss.

With the win, the Trojans move to 23-7 overall. Coastal Carolina falls to 15-11. Troy will face Little Rock Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in the Pensacola Bay Center.