Troy women top Chattanooga, advance to WNIT Super 16
Fortuna Ngnawo dribbles in the paint during the Troy women’s WNIT 2nd Round victory over Chattanooga (Courtesy: Troy Athletics).
TROY, Ala. – For the second straight season, the Troy women’s basketball program advanced past the second round of the WNIT in Trojan Arena on an 85-72 victory over Chattanooga on Monday night.
The Trojans (21-13) outscored the Mocs (17-15) 50-35 in the second half on their fifth game shooting 50 percent or above (50 percent – 33-of-66) to advance into the Super 16 against North Texas.
En route to her 16th double-double, Zay Dyer led the Trojans with 18 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-18 shooting. Nearly joining her in the double-double category was Fortuna Ngnawo, who was one rebound shy with 17 points and nine rebounds. Ashley Baez returned to double-figures for the first time since Feb. 22 with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and a team-high four steals. Brianna Jackson and Shaulana Wagner also finished with double digits in the scoring column with 11 apiece.
Freshman Gianna Corbitt continued her momentum from round one into a 20-point performance on 7-of-13 from the field – she also had seven rebounds and a team-high three steals. Caia Elisaldez led the Mocs in the scoring and assist column with 21 points on 8-of-14 from the field and seven assists. Overall, Chattanooga suffered a game-low 38.5 percent from the field in the third quarter, while the Trojans shot 62.5 to be outscored 28-14 and end its season.
Super 16 Bound
Neither side could gain control through the first half of the third quarter as the score saw six lead changes and three ties, including a 44-44 score with 5:50 remaining on a free throw from Corbitt. The lead would change hands three more times as Ngnawo hit the jumper off a Baez assist with 4:03 left in the quarter for the final lead change of the game, 48-47.
Both sides exchanged a basket to keep it a one-point game, 50-49, before Ngnawo opened an 8-0 run as she finished the fastbreak off a Baez steal with 2:27 left in the third. A miss by the Mocs allowed Baez to hit the triple and Ngnawo finished an and-one for a 58-49 lead with 1:19 on the clock.
Chattanooga wrestled the margin down to seven when Elisaldez hit a pair at the line, 65-58, with 8:34 on the clock. However, the dagger came after a missed opportunity by the Mocs ended in the hands of Jackson. The Oklahoma State transfer pulled up from behind the arc and hit to push Troy’s lead back to 10, 68-58, with 8:07 remaining.
The Trojans never allowed Chattanooga to drop the lead below eight as they outscored the opposition on 62.5 percent shooting in the fourth quarter, 17-14, to punch their ticket into the Super 16.
Turn the Tide
The Mocs controlled the first 13:11 of the ballgame, taking a 10-point advantage, 27-17, with 6:49 left in the second when Corbitt knocked down a pair at the line. But Leilani Guion drilled the triple, 27-20, to turn the tide to the Trojans 0:11 later.
After a second-chance bucket by Corbitt, Jackson rattled off a 4-0 run with two makes at the line and a tip-in layup off a second-chance bucket, 29-24, with 5:37 on the clock. The second pair of points came when Wagner stole the ball, and Jackson went up for the second-chance score inside.
With 2:11 left in the half, Ava Card got the assist from Elisaldez and drilled one from behind the arc to retake a 34-28 advantage. Troy launched its attack from there with a 6-0 burst, starting on a Wagner to Ngnawo connection for a layup, 34-30, with 1:56 left.
Emani Jenkins got a second chance after a miss when Wagner grabbed the offensive rebound and found her for a deep jumper, 34-32, with 1:04 remaining in the half. Wagner followed in the scoring column as Dyer found her for the Detroit native’s 16th career triple and a 35-34 lead – Elisaldez hit a triple as time expired to enter the break with a 37-35 advantage in favor of the Mocs.
Head Coach Chanda Rigby
“I’m beyond thankful for this victory. Winning a game like this in the postseason means so much. Especially with it coming in the WNIT. The team was able to build upon last season’s historic run and come out even stronger. Although the start was a little rusty, that was expected. Playing a big game after being off for eleven days will do that to you. But in the second half we stuck to one play. Although it wasn’t perfect, every time we ran it correctly, we scored off of it. We were later able to settle into a rhythm and things started to fall into place. It’s in our hearts to want to go out and win this next game. We host the next game on Thursday night in Trojan arena at 6 p.m. It’s going to be a very tough North Texas team, and we are going to need everybody there. We need to get by this game in order to give ourselves a chance at winning a national title.”
Next Up
The Trojans advance to the Super 16, where they face North Texas in Trojan Arena at 6 p.m.
WNIT Stats
- Wagner drilled a career-high three triples in four attempts – she also ended with eight assists and four rebounds.
- Dyer had an 18-point, 10-rebound performance to mark her 16th double-double.
- Wagner led the team with eight assists to have five-plus assists in her 21st game while leading the Trojans in either points or assists in all 26 games played.
- The win marks Troy’s second straight victory in the WNIT round two as it improves to 4-3 all-time in the WNIT.
- The Trojans shot 50 percent from the field to shoot 50 percent or more in their fifth game – it’s 5-0 in those games.
(Courtesy: Troy Athletics)
