four straight: Beverly-Kelley scores 24 points leading Troy to an 88-71 win over Texas-Arlington Thursday
Published 3:00 am Friday, January 15, 2016
BY: Michael Shipma
The Troy women’s basketball team played an excellent second half to defeat UT-Arlington 88-71 on Thursday night at Trojan Arena.
The Trojans (9-5, 4-1 Sun Belt) were led by senior guard Ashley Beverly-Kelley, who had a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds, as well as five assists.
Despite a slow start offensively from the home team, the Trojans used full court pressure and tough defense to eventually find their rhythm late in the first quarter. After falling behind by five points early in the contest, Troy battled back to earn a 22-20 lead at the end of the first.
In the second quarter, Troy turned up the defensive intensity and created more stops, thanks to switching between man and zone defenses. The result was a low scoring second period, with Troy on top 35-31 at halftime.
The Mavericks (7-7, 2-2 Sun Belt) had no answer for Troy in the third quarter however, as Beverly-Kelley and junior guard ArJae’ Saunders led the Trojans to a 65-45 edge going into the fourth quarter. Troy was able to score nearly at will in the third period, and tallied 30 points en route to the victory.
UT-Arlington narrowed the gap in the final quarter, however, outscoring the Trojans 26-23 in the last 10 minutes. The Mavericks tightened up on defense and were able hit some shots in the closing minutes, but it was too little, too late for the visitors as Troy picked up its fourth straight win.
Troy had four players scoring in double figures in the contest, with Beverly-Kelley scoring 24, Saunders with 19, sophomore guard Amanda Mendoza with 11, and junior forward Caitlyn Ramirez, who had 10.
UT-Arlington was led by sophomore guard Cierra Johnson, who had 26 points to go along with three assists, as well as senior guard Amara Wainwright, who scored 13.
Troy will return to action on Saturday afternoon when they take on Texas State in Trojan Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.