Troy hunting a spot in the WNIT Championship tonight against Minnesota in the Fab 4
Published 11:39 am Wednesday, April 3, 2024
- Tai’Sheka Porchia (10) and the Troy Trojans host Minnesota in the WNIT Fab 4 on Wednesday night. (Photo by Josh Boutwell)
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The Troy Trojans (22-11) will host the Minnesota Golden Gophers (19-15) in the Fab 4 of the WNIT tonight with a spot in the Championship on the line.
The Trojans have had a tough road to their first Fab 4 appearance – and first time winning any postseason games ever – with wins over FIU, North Carolina A&T and ULM. Meanwhile, Minnesota earned wins over Pacific, North Dakota State and Wyoming to make it to the Fab 4 in its first ever WNIT appearance.
Troy and Minnesota have met just once in their history, on Dec. 12, 1999, a Minnesota 66-56 win. That’s also the only time Troy has ever played a Big 10 school.
Coming into the Fab 4, the Trojans lead the entire country with 47.82 rebounds per game. Troy’s three All-Sun Belt performers Tai’Sheka Porchia, Makayia Hallmon and Ja’Mia Hollings have been the backbone for the Trojans during this tournament stretch, as well.
In the WNIT, Hallmon is averaging 17.3 points, 1.7 assists and two steals per game, while Porchia is averaging 13 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in the tournament. Meanwhile, Hollings is making a case for tournament MVP as she is averaging 22 points, 12 rebounds, one assist, one steal and three blocks per game. She’s also earned six straight double-doubles.
Minnesota comes into the Fab 4 with the 213th ranked scoring defense in the country, giving up 66 points per game. Troy comes into the contest with the 10th best scoring offense in the country, averaging 81.2 points per game. Minnesota’s offense is ranked 87th in the country, averaging 70 points per game.
The Gophers feature a duo of All-Conference performers in Mara Braun and Amaya Battle. Braun averages 17 points, 1.6 steals, 3.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game, while Battle averages 12.3 points, 1.5 steals, 5.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. Mallory Heyer is the Gophers’ leading rebounder, averaging 8.5 rebounds per game along with 9.3 points per game.
Troy will host Minnesota in the Fab 4 at 6 p.m. in Trojan Arena tonight.