Troy Routs UT Arlington, Plays for Title on Sunday

Saturday, March 11

New Orleans, La.

7:30 PM

Troy University

21-10

UT Arlington

22-8

Troy

UT Arlington

Photo by: Chris Davis

Troy Routs UT Arlington, Plays for Title on Sunday

3/11/2017 11:22:00 PM | Basketball (W)

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By: Wes Johnson

NEW ORLEANS – The Troy women's basketball team will play for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship on Sunday after routing UT Arlington, 88-59, on Saturday at Lakefront Arena.

The third-seeded Trojans (21-10) will play No. 5 UL Lafayette (20-10), which knocked off top-seeded Little Rock, at 6 p.m. on Sunday for an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Troy is looking to become the first team to win consecutive Sun Belt Tournament title since Little Rock in 2011-12

Jayla Chills scored a game-high 21 points and Claresa Banks turned in a career-high 20 points to lead the Trojans. Caitlyn Ramirez posted her 12^th double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds. La-Tia Fils-Aime' chipped in with a career-high 12 rebounds. Ta'Kierra Gibbs scored 14 points with five rebounds.

The Mavericks (22-8) scored the first basket of the game, but the Trojans were relentless on both ends of the court and exploded on a 14-1 run and didn't allow a UTA field goal for over five minutes. Banks scored 15 of her 20 points in the first half and led Troy to a 16-point lead with 2:49 left in the second quarter.

UT Arlington had closed the gap to six early in the second period, but the Trojans dominated on the glass for the second straight game outrebounding UTA 64-30 in the game earning second chance opportunities all night. The second half was all Troy as it held its largest lead at 29 with 1:10 left in the game.

Banks was 7-of-14 shooting in the game to lead the team, while collectively, the Trojans were 28-of-71 from the field and 26-for-35 from the free throw line. Cierra Johnson paced UTA with 14 points.

Last season, Troy earned its second ever NCAA Tournament berth by defeated Little Rock, 61-60, in the title game.

QUOTABLE
"I'm extremely proud of how this team has played," head coach Chanda Rigby said. "To be playing for a conference championship along with our men's team is such an honor and I am so proud."

NOTABLE
• Troy has outrebounded its opponents 150-69 in its two games in the tournament.

• The Trojans have scored 58 of its 193 points in the tournament from the free throw line.

• Troy's bench outscored UTA's 48-14.

• The men's and the women's team will play for a title on Sunday, Little Rock's men's and women's team each played in the championship game last season.
• In the Sun Belt's history, a school's men's and women's team both won titles in the same year five times: Little Rock (2011) and Western Kentucky (2008, 2003, 1995, 1993)

For more information on Troy women's basketball, visit TroyTrojans.com or follow the team on Twitter at @TroyTrojansWBB.

The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy. New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12. For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the @FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.