Trojans Dominate Down Stretch in 100-88 Win

Monday, November 11

Troy, Ala.

5:15 p.m.

Troy University

2-0

100

Florida A&M

1-1

Team	1	2	F
Florida A&M	47	41	88
Troy	47	53	100

Photo by: Joshua Thurston

Trojans Dominate Down Stretch in 100-88 Win

11/11/2013 8:17:00 PM | Basketball (W)

Box Score

By: Matt Mays

Box Score | Photo Gallery

TROY, Ala. - The Troy women's basketball team closed on a 20-4 run and outran Florida A&M at home on Monday night, 100-88. Troy held the Lady Rattlers to just one field goal over the final 5:30 to break open a game that was tight throughout in the Trojans' home opener.

Troy (2-0) was led by Ashley Beverly-Kelley's 23 points and Joanna Harden's 20 as all five starters scored in double-figures. Beverly-Kelley hit five of Troy's 12 3-pointers while Brooke Bowie hit four and scored 16 points.

Three-point shooting was the story for each team as Florida A&M made 40.7 percent (11-of-27) and Troy hit 41.4 percent (12-of-29). Dominique Ross hit two for Troy, the first two deep balls of the senior's career. Ross was 6-of-7 from the floor overall with 14 points while Kourtney Coleman was the final starter in double-figures with 13 points.

Neither side had a double-digit lead in the game until the Trojans' stretch run. Florida A&M (1-1) hit a jumper with 5:28 to go, taking an 84-80 lead, but just nine seconds later, Beverly-Kelley hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead down to one and start a nine-point run.

Over the final 5:28, Troy used a 20-4 run thanks to 8-of-10 shooting to run past a tired Lady Rattlers team.

"This was a very hard fought game," Troy head coach Chanda Rigby said. "Many times it looked like Florida A&M was taking control, but we always believed we were in it and it gave us the confidence at the end. This team has grown up a lot and they believed we deserved to win that game."

Jasmine Grice, the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, led Florida A&M with 33 points. However, after scoring 23 in the first half with five 3-pointers, Troy's pressure defense wore Grice out as she scored just 10 point with no 3-pointers in the second half.

Like in their season opener against Alabama State, the Troy defense forced opponent miscues all night as the Lady Rattlers committed 27 turnovers. Troy scored 30 points off of the Florida A&M turnovers while the Lady Rattlers had just 11 off of Troy's miscues.

Troy shot 47.4 percent (37-of-78) overall while FAMU shot 37.9 percent (33-of-87) from the floor. Florida A&M outrebounded the Trojans 53-49 as Coleman and Bowie nearly missed double-doubles with nine rebounds each.

The Trojans have now scored 100 points twice in Rigby's two seasons, that after not scoring 100 points since 1997 before her arrival. Troy is also 2-0 for the first time since 2005-06.

Troy returns to the floor on Friday when Tennessee State visits for a special 12 p.m. contest at Trojan Arena. The afternoon game is being played as part of First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign and all area school children are invited. Admission to the game is FREE for all fans.

For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter and Instagram at @TroyAthletics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.