Last February, the Troy women enjoyed a fantastic month that propelled them to a No. 4 seed in the Sun Belt tournament. This February, however, has been a far different story.

The Trojans lost their fourth straight game Saturday, this time falling to Florida International 55-47 at home.

“Obviously, I’m very disappointed with the loss, but I’m very grateful for the effort the kids showed,” said head coach Michael Murphy. “They’re were trying hard, maybe even a little too hard, and I thought we struggled offensively and maybe forced some things as a result.”

Troy (11-13, 4-10) trailed by six at halftime, but kept the game close the entire second half. The Trojans closed the gap to just one with 12:41 left to play, but were unable to take the lead.

The Trojans shot just 29.5 percent for the game, compared to FIU’s 45.5 percent.

Seniors Alyce Shearing and Brttnie Davis struggled mightily throughout the contest.

“I thought we were taking decent shots, but we just didn’t have enough output tonight,” Murphy said. “Shearing went 1-11 and Davis went 4-14, so when two of your seniors go 5-25, it’s going to be tough to win.”

Part of Troy’s ineptitude on offense stemmed from its woes inside the painted area. The Trojans converted on just five of 13 attempts from short range in the second half, enabling the Golden Panthers to head home with the win.

‘I thought when we drove the ball to the basket, we became too concerned with the contact,” Murphy said. “We altered our shots instead of going through the opposing player and putting the onus on the official to make a call.”

The loss ensures Troy will finish in no better than a tie for last in the Sun Belt’s Eastern Division.

“We’re struggling right now, and the kids confidence is down a bit,” Murphy said. “When your confidence is down, you tend to press and when you press, you tend to make mistakes on offense.”

Troy returns to action Wednesday at home against league-leading Middle Tennessee.