The Troy Trojans women’s basketball team (17-10, 11-3) earned a resounding 86-59 win over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (9-17, 4-10) on Senior Day at Trojan Arena on Saturday. 

Troy never trailed in the game and led by as many as 30 points throughout the contest. The Trojans shot 53.2 percent from the field, the second-highest shot percentage of the season for Troy. The Troy defense also held Southern Miss to 35.6 percent shooting. Coming into the contest Troy was leading the entire country in rebounding and the Trojans once again dominated the boards, out-rebounding Southern Miss 45-23. Troy also outscored Southern Miss by an eye-popping 54-8 in the paint and 16-4 in second chance points. The Trojans also forced 12 turnovers and scored 14 points off those turnovers. 

“It was a pleasure to see the seniors get sent off with a huge win on senior day. We honored six players and three extended members of our Troy family,” Troy Coach Chanda Rigby said. “They all had some family here tonight and people that have helped them along the way. And we saw them show how much they’ve improved on and off the court. While the people might not know how much they’ve improved in life, they showed it all on the court tonight. 

“Associate head coach Jennifer Graf had a great scout with keeping it away from Melyia (Grayson) for USM. The emotions hit after the game when I talked with the parents. It just hit me that I won’t be back with these players next season. They grow up so fast, and I’m so proud of them. We’re going to enjoy this. But on Monday, we have to lock back in because it’s tough to win on the road, and we need to do that at ULM.”

Brianna Jackson led Troy with 17 points, four rebounds and two steals, while Zay Dyer added 13 points and six rebounds. Khila Morris came off the bench to score 11 points. Shaulana Wagner dished nine assists and Emma Imevbore blocked a career-high three shots. Morgan Sieper led Southern Miss with 17 points. 

The win puts Troy securely in the No. 3 spot in the Sun Belt Conference, a full two-game lead ahead of Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina. The Trojans are back on the road for four straight away games to end the regular season, starting at ULM this Thursday, feb. 20, at 6:30 p.m.