TROY, Ala. — The Troy Trojans women's basketball used a dominant second quarter and a commanding effort on the glass to defeat the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 71-55 on Thursday night.
Troy (20-5, 11-2 Sun Belt) outscored Louisiana 20-9 in the second quarter to build a 40-26 halftime lead and never trailed in the contest. The Trojans led for 39:36 and stretched their advantage to as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Zay Dyer posted a dominant double-double with 18 points and 25 rebounds, including 19 on the defensive end, to pace Troy. Ashley Baez added 11 points and six assists, while Emani Jenkins knocked down four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. Rachel Leggett contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Trojans finished with a 49-41 edge on the boards.
Louisiana (3-22, 1-13 Sun Belt) was led by Imani Daniel, who scored a game-high 24 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Bianca Silva recorded a double-digit rebounds with 13 and six points, and Amijah Price added eight points off the bench.
The Cajuns shot 50 percent in the first quarter and trailed just 20-17 after one, but went cold in the second period, making only 3 of 20 shots (15 percent). Louisiana finished the game shooting 35.3 percent (24 of 68) from the field and struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 1 of 14 attempts (7.1 percent).
Troy shot 36.8 percent overall (25 of 68) and connected on 7 of 25 3-point attempts. The Trojans also capitalized at the free-throw line, making 14 of 19 (73.7 percent), compared to Louisiana’s 6 of 11 (54.5 percent).
After Louisiana trimmed the deficit to 14 in the third quarter behind Daniel’s inside scoring, Troy responded with key second-chance baskets and timely 3-pointers to maintain control. The Trojans closed the game with an 18-11 fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Louisiana returns to action at South Alabama on Saturday Feb. 14, looking to snap its skid.
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