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The Troy Trojans (10-7, 4-1) women’s team picked up an 80-72 Sun Belt Conference win over Georgia State on the road on Jan. 11.

The win not only marked Troy’s fourth straight conference victory but it was the 150th conference win of head coach Chanda Rigby’s career. She became just the third coach in Sun Belt history to reach that milestone after Arkansas State’s Brian Boyer and Little Rock’s Joe Foley. 

Troy took an 18-11 lead into the second quarter but Georgia State rallied to take a 35-34 lead into halftime. The Trojans, though, took control again by outscoring GSU 22-10 in the third quarter to hold a resounding 56-45 lead going into then final period of play. 

While Troy managed to take its biggest lead of the game shortly into the fourth quarter, Georgia State managed to claw its way back into the game off Trojan turnovers to cut the lead to 63-61 with 3:51 left. The Trojans, though, pulled away once again and held on for the conference win. 

“We’re happy to get out of Georgia with a win through all the ice and snow,” Troy coach Chanda Rigby said. “We battled so much regarding injuries and illness, and I can’t speak about how proud I am of this team for having a championship mindset to overcome that. All glory to God for allowing me to do this. 

“150 conference wins is a lot of wins and I’m grateful for each and every single one of them. I’m grateful to all the players, staff and administration who have helped me along the way. It’s fun as a coach to see a team that doesn’t need you to beg them to hold its head up. This team has continued to mature and handle the adversity thrown at them. And they find a way to swing it back in our favor.”

As has become the norm for Troy this season, the Trojans dominated the boards out rebounding Georgia State 59-26. While Troy also turned the ball over a season-high 29 times, compared to the Panthers’ 14, Troy shot 41.7 percent from the field compared to Georgia State’s 34.3 percent shooting. 

Zay Dyer earned her 10th double-double of the season for Troy with 18 points and 17 rebounds, while Ashley Baez added 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Brian Peguero tallied 17 points, three boards and seven assists. For Georgia State, Patience Williams scored 18 points with seven rebounds and four steals. 

Troy is back at home on Jan. 16 to face in-state rival South Alabama at 6 p.m.