Troy gets first win of the season against BSU

Published 9:45 pm Tuesday, November 23, 2010

There was reason to celebrate at Sartain Hall on Tuesday night, thanks to the Troy Trojans women’s basketball team.

While it may have taken to the fifth game of the season, the Trojans were able to come away with its first win, defeating Division III opponent Birmingham Southern 58-35.

The 35 points scored were the lowest against a Troy team in since joining Division 1, beating the old mark held by Louisiana-Monroe, who scored 39 in a game in 2008.

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“I’m pretty excited (about the win),” head coach Mike Murphy said.

“We had a 10-hour bus ride home from a game against Florida Gulf Coast who is a good team on Sunday and now we have a 10-hour bus ride ahead of us (Wednesday) against a team that could possibly win the National Championship in Xavier. I was proud of the defensive effort of the team (Tuesday night). We have played well in half court defense all season, and (Tuesday night) was no different. We are all happy about it but the beat goes on, so to speak.”

The win improved Troy to 1-4 on the early season.

The Trojans used a string of runs to get the victory, as it started the game off with a 6-0 lead.

That lead would eventually blossom into nine-point half time lead, as Troy was up 22-13 after twenty minutes of play.

The 13 points scored by BSU was a modern day record for fewest points allowed by a Troy team at the half.

The Trojans started the second half much like it did the first, going on an 11-0 run and by the 15-minute marker, Troy was well on its way to the victory as it held a 20-point lead at 35-15.

Leading the way for Troy was junior guard DeAngela Sword, who finished with a game high 19 points.

Donette McNair, who is the Trojans’ leading scorer averaging nearly 27 points per game, finished with 10 points of her own, while Tenia Manuel finished with 12 points. The Trojans also grabbed 40 rebounds for the fifth-straight game this season.

“I thought we played very well (Tuesday night),” Murphy said.

“We did a good job rebounding the ball and did a good job against their pressure all night, which said a lot of our team. I think we have played pretty well all season long, but we really put everything together (Tuesday night).”

A reason for why the Trojans were able to put everything together was of what it was doing hours before the game.

Instead of a basic shoot around session, the team was in full practice mood two hours before tip off.

“I wanted the girls to have complete focus on this game,” the head coach said. “And I think the practice helped them be better prepared going into it.”

Troy will be back in action on Friday, as it takes on the No. 5 team in the county in Xavier.

The game is set for a 2 p.m. eastern time tip-off.