Arkansas State women’s basketball (13-7, 9-1 SBC) used 17 three-pointers, the most against a Sun Belt Conference opponent, to deflate Troy (13-9, 7-3 SBC) 91-77 on Thursday night at First National Bank Arena.
All 10 Red Wolves contributed on the scoreboard for the fifth time this season and improved to 5-0 in those games. When all participating players score, A-State is 7-1 with the lone loss coming against UT Martin on December 15, 2024.
Zyion Shannon led the way with 17 points while Kennedie Montue (15), Anna Griffin (12), and Bella Weary (10), also reached double figures. Crislyn Rose dished out 11 assists, surpassing her previous career high of 10 previously set versus Marshall on Jan. 2.
A-State lost the battle on the boards 46-45 against the nation’s top rebounding squad entering tonight, but outrebounded their opponent on the offensive glass 18-16.
Defensively, Mimi McCollister established a new career high in steals with five against the Trojans. Griffin opened the contest with a pair of triples, powering the Scarlet and Black to an early 13-6 advantage. The lead swelled to eight thanks to a triple from Shannon, but Troy closed the gap as A-State took a 24-20 lead into the second.
The Trojans responded to an early layup from Wynter Rogers with a 13-0 run, claiming their first lead of the contest at the 7:13 mark. Both sides exchanged shots before another triple from Shannon made the score 37-33, but Troy took advantage of a technical foul by converting both free throws and the ensuing possession.
The Red Wolves also took advantage of free throw opportunities, making two before the buzzer to go into intermission down six. A-State shot 12-for-42 (28.6 percent) from the floor and 6-for-24 (25 percent) from beyond the arc in the first half. Shannon led all scorers with 13 points after the first two quarters, but the Red Wolves trailed 41-33 going into the third.
The Trojans pushed their lead to eight with 7:32 to go, but the Scarlet and Black flipped the script and regained the lead behind a 14-2 run. Montue netted the next nine points, including her second and third three-pointers, to put A-State in front 68-56.
Troy scored four of the final five points in the penultimate quarter, but the Red Wolves would enter the fourth ahead by nine.
Both sides alternated the first 12 field goals of the final period, but A-State ultimately won the exchange behind four triples compared to one from their opponent. A pair of layups from Nissa Sam-Grant complimented by another layup from Rose iced the game as A-State held a 91-73 lead with 2:22 to go.
Troy scored the final four points before time expired, but the Scarlet and Black successfully extended their winning streak to nine games.In addition to being the most three-pointers against a Sun Belt opponent, it was the second most in a game in program history. The 45 three-point attempts set a new program record, surpassing 44 attempts against Central Baptist on November 9, 2021.
NEXT UP
A-State resumes their six-game homestand on Saturday, February 1, against South Alabama at 2:00 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena. Listeners can find the game on 95.3/96.9 The Ticket Radio Network while viewers can watch on ESPN+.
