Troy Women Host Arkansas State in Sun Belt Opener

TROY, Alabama - After a road win to close non-conference play, followed by a holiday break, the Troy women's basketball team returns home to open Sun Belt play on Wednesday when preseason league favorite Arkansas State visits Trojan Arena. The Trojans and Red Wolves will tip off at 5:15 p.m.

The game will be the first half of a doubleheader as the Troy men also host Arkansas State at 7:30 p.m. It's also Dollar Night at Trojan Arena as fans can purchase general admission tickets, hot dogs and soft drinks all for just one dollar each.

Links to live stats, live video and free live audio can be found at TroyTrojans.com. Fans in Troy can also hear the game on WTBF 94.7 FM in Troy. For live in-game updates on Twitter, follow @TroyTrojansWBB.

Troy (5-4, 0-0) is coming off of a 100-90 win at Southeastern Louisiana last Monday. Troy forced 40 turnovers, had five players score in double figures and scored 100 points for the fourth time this season in a win that secured a winning non-conference record for the second straight year.

The Trojans are forcing an average of 26.2 turnover per game, the second best mark in the NCAA. The 40 forced turnovers at Southeastern were the most forced by Troy since at least 1999-2000 when opponent turnover statistics are first available.

The turnovers are leading to big offensive numbers for Troy as the Trojans rank eighth in the NCAA in scoring offense at 85.6 points per game. Troy has already scored 100 points four times this season, including in all three of its home games. Troy enters Wednesday's contest with an eight-game home winning streak, the program's longest streak since 2005-06.

Ashley Beverly Kelley leads the Trojans and ranks third in the Sun Belt in scoring at 18.4 points per game. The senior led Troy at Southeastern Louisiana with 24 points (22 in second half), eight assists and seven steals. She now has 213 career steals, the most in Troy history and the most among all active players in the Sun Belt.

Caitlyn Ramirez is Troy's second leading scorer at 12.9 per game and ranks in the Sun Belt's top four in field goal, 3-point and free throw percentage, the only player in even the top 10 in all three categories. Ramirez is coming off of a 19-point, nine-rebound effort at Southeastern.

Arkansas State (6-3) comes to Troy after completing a tough non-conference schedule that included single-digit losses at Florida, Nebraska and mid-major power Chattanooga. The Red Wolves most recently lost at Nebraska, 79-71, last Monday, despite leading with under 6:00 to go in the game.

Arkansas State turns the ball over just 13.8 times per game, the seventh best mark in the NCAA mark. They are led by Aundra Gamble, the Sun Belt Player of the Year in each of the last two seasons. Gamble leads the league in scoring this season at 19.8 points per game and also averages 4.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Khadija Brown-Haywood ranks in the Sun Belt top 10 at 14.1 points per game and leads the league in rebounding with 8.7 boards per game.

The Red Wolves won both of last season's meetings and were the only Sun Belt team Troy did not beat at least once last season. Troy is 4-11 all-time against Arkansas State.

Following Wednesday's game, Troy hosts another tough opponent in reigning Sun Belt champion Little Rock on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Trojan Arena.

For more information on Troy women's basketball, follow the Trojans on Twitter and Instagram at @TroyTrojansWBB.

For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find the Trojans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat by searching for Troy Athletics.

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Players Mentioned

Ashley Beverly Kelley

Caitlyn Ramirez