Troy falls to Arkansas State

 Troy women’s basketball rebounded from down 13 in the fourth quarter to bring the deficit to within one Friday night in Trojan Arena, but Arkansas State hit the dagger from deep with 0:07 left to win the battle for the No. 2 seed, 89-85.

Despite the loss, the Trojans (19-12, 13-5 SBC) battled for the No. 3 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, awaiting their opponent for a quarterfinal round matchup on Saturday, March 8 at 2:30 p.m. With the victory, Arkansas State earned the No. 2 seed and will play the winner of Troy’s quarterfinal matchup for a ticket to the championship game.

Zay Dyer and Brianna Jackson erupted on both ends of the court, combining for 42 points, 17 rebounds and 10 blocks. Dyer led the way in scoring with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, a team-high nine rebounds and four blocks to boost. Jackson rejected six blocks to tie her career-high while scoring 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting and seizing eight boards. Shaulana Wagner played passer with 13 assists to lead the Trojans – she had seven rebounds and a block. Briana Peguero and Leilani Guion also ended with double-figures in the scoring column with 17 and 10, respectively.

Again, the Red Wolves were elite from behind the arc, with 15 makes coming from Kennedie Montue (4), Annaliese Griffin (3), Shaunae Brown (2), Crislyn Rose (2), Kyanna Morgan (2), Zyion Shannon (1) and Mimi McCollister (1). Outside the deep game, Wynter Rogers went 8-of-11 inside the arc to lead Arkansas State with 16 points. Montue led Arkansas State off the bench for the second straight game with 15 points, two steals, three rebounds and a block.