TROY, Ala. (Interstat) — The Troy women’s basketball team used a dominant first-half offensive display to build an insurmountable lead and cruised to an 84-73 victory over in-state rival South Alabama in a Sun Belt Conference game Wednesday night at Trojan Arena.

The Trojans, improving to 22-4 overall, seized control from the opening tip, racing to a 25-10 lead after the first quarter and extending it to a 51-31 advantage by halftime. Troy’s offensive efficiency was staggering in the opening half, scoring 51 points on just 35 possessions. South Alabama, which fell to 9-17, could not match Troy’s early firepower, particularly from beyond the arc, and spent the rest of the evening in a fruitless chase.

The most important part of the game was unquestionably the first quarter, where Troy established a tone of offensive superiority that South Alabama never countered. The Trojans opened the game on a 22-5 run, fueled by precise ball movement and hot three-point shooting. Guard Emani Jenkins of Dallas was the catalyst, hitting three three-pointers in the period on her way to a team-high 18 points for the game. Troy made 5 of 9 three-point attempts in the first quarter alone, while South Alabama started 0 for 7 from the floor and committed four early turnovers.

South Alabama showed resilience after the break, outscoring Troy 42-33 in the second half and cutting the deficit to as few as 11 points in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars’ effort was led by Daniela Gonzalez of Jamundi, Colombia, who played 37 minutes and finished with 10 points and eight assists, and Diawna Carter-Hartley of Cincinnati, Ohio, who added 12 points. A late 8-0 run, capped by a Carter-Hartley layup with 7:50 remaining, brought South Alabama within 73-62 and prompted a Troy timeout.

The Trojans, however, responded with the composure of a conference frontrunner. Following the timeout, Troy executed a decisive 7-0 spurt over the next minute and a half, keyed by an offensive rebound and putback from Fortuna Ngnawo of Bafoussam, Cameroon, and a steal and layup from Zay Dyer of Atlanta. That sequence pushed the lead back to 80-62 with 6:04 to play, effectively extinguishing the Jaguars’ comeback hopes.

Troy’s victory was built on a significant advantage in three-point shooting and free throw accuracy. The Trojans made 11 of 27 three-point attempts, while South Alabama connected on only 5 of 27. At the foul line, Troy was nearly automatic, converting 19 of 22 attempts. South Alabama shot 12 of 17 from the line.

Dyer complemented Jenkins’ scoring with a strong all-around performance of 16 points, three assists and three blocks. Ngnawo also scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Point guard Ashley Baez of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, directed the offense with eight assists and 14 points.

For South Alabama, aside from Gonzalez and Carter-Hartley, Alicia Spann of Sumter, South Carolina, and Cordasia Harris of Hayneville, Alabama, each contributed 10 points. The Jaguars won the battle in the paint, 36-26, and scored 11 points off turnovers, but their cold perimeter shooting and Troy’s blistering start proved too much to overcome.

The announced attendance at Trojan Arena was 1,704. According to Interstat’s ELO system, Troy entered the game with a 98.90 percent probability to win.

South Alabama will look to regroup on the road against Texas State on Saturday. Troy continues its homestand, hosting Southern Mississippi on Saturday. The two rivals will meet again in Mobile on Feb. 27.