CONWAY, S.C. – Sophomore guard Deaja Richardson tied a career-high with 27 points and junior forward Aja Blount added 26 points for Coastal Carolina, but it wasn't enough as the Troy Trojans pulled away in the second half for a 103-89 Sun Belt Conference women's basketball victory on Saturday afternoon at the HTC Center.
 
Prior to the game, Coastal honored four players playing their final game at the HTC Center.  Seniors Kaylin West and Tiarra Davis and graduate students Olivia Smith and Ashley Saintigene were honored by Head Coach Jaida Williams and Director of Athletics Matt Hogue.
 
Richardson, a transfer from Tennessee State, scored 21 of her points in the second half while Blount hit for 20 or more points for the fourth time this season. Junior guard Tyra Brown added a career-high 17 points for Coastal, which ended the regular season winless in 13 conference games and 3-14 overall.
 
Troy, which finished 15-2 in the league and 19-5 overall, placed six players in double figures, led by senior forward Tiyah Johnson's 21 points. Junior forward Felmas Koranga chipped in with 18 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. The Trojans extended their winning streak to eight games and locked up the top-seed in the East Division of the Sun Belt standings.
 
Just like the night before, Coastal came out ready to play. The Chanticleers hit their first three shots to open a 7-3 advantage and then took their largest lead of the game when Brown hit a driving layup to give Coastal a 12-7 lead.  Coastal held a slim 21-19 lead after the first period, riding on the shoulders of Blount's 13 points.
 
There were five lead changes and two ties in the second quarter before Troy came out on top behind the play of Dye, who had nine points in the final four minutes of the period, lifting the Trojans to a 52-44 halftime advantage. Dye went to the locker room having already posted 14 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Trojans exploded for 31 points in the third quarter to put the game out of reach, taking as much as an 18-point lead at 83-65 at the end of the period. The Chants had one last rally in them as Richardson hit for 11 points in the last quarter. Her three-pointer from the right wing brought Coastal to within 13 with a little more than three minutes remaining, but CCU didn't have enough energy left to get any closer. Richardson was one of three CCU guards to play the entire game, with Brown and West being the others.
 
Coastal played a strong offensive game, shooting 46 percent from the field (32-of-70) and 47 percent from beyond the three-point line (9-of-19).  The Chants could not contend with Troy's muscle inside though as the Trojans pulled down 66 rebounds compared to Coastal's 33.
 
Coastal will now enter the postseason Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 6 seed in the East Division and will play its first game at 1:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 5, against the West Division's No. 3 seed.  The conference will release all pairings for the tournament on Sunday, Feb. 28.  The tournament will be played in Pensacola, Fla., beginning March 5 and ending with the championship game on Monday, March 8, at 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU. 
 

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