Marshall University Athletics
Herd Women Stumble in MAC Opener at Ball State
1/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Herd Women Stumble in MAC Opener at Ball State
1/3/2004
- Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. ? With the score tied at 61-61 and 39 seconds remaining, Johna Goff nailed a three-pointer to put Ball State up for good and catapult the Cardinals to a 71-63 win over the visiting Marshall Thundering Herd in the Mid-American Conference women?s basketball opener at John E. Worthen Arena on Saturday.
Four Marshall players scoring in double figures was not enough to lift the Herd (8-3, 0-1 MAC) past the Cardinals (6-6, 1-0 MAC). Sikeetha Shepard-Hall (Houston, Texas) led MU with 11 points, followed by 10 points apiece from Kim Griffin (Valdosta, Ga.), Amy Smith (Ramstein, Germany) and Catie Knable (Floyd Knobs, Ind.). Knable added a game-high 12 rebounds, eight of which were on the offensive end of the floor, to out-gain the MAC?s leading rebounder, BSU?s Jessica Reiter, who posted seven boards.
Goff, a senior guard, added five free throws down the stretch when Marshall was forced to foul to stop the clock. A Shepard-Hall jumper off a spin move near the top of the lane cut the deficit to three points with 16 seconds left in regulation, but an intentional foul by the sophomore guard gave BSU another free point plus possession of the ball.
The Herd defense seemed to dominate play throughout the game, but a 35.1 percent shooting performance on 27-of-77 shooting was too much to overcome for Royce Chadwick?s young squad.
?We have to be able to execute better in the offensive end to be able to win,? Chadwick, who coached in his 600th collegiate game, said.
Ball State shot a Marshall opponent season-high 52.3 percent from the floor (23-of-44).
Marshall forced the Cardinals into 15 turnovers in the opening half, which, entering the game, was two turnovers under BSU?s average for an entire game to take a one-point edge into intermission. The Cards finished with 23 turnovers that the Herd converted into 25 points. Teyonka Hodge (Washington, D.C) led MU with a team season-high six steals.
Senior Jessica Reiter and junior Kate Endress scored 17 and 15 points, respectively, which put the Ball State duo over the 1,000-point plateau for their careers. Reiter was 4-of-7 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Goff and Raechelle Hampton scored 12 points each in the contest.
MU forward Nadia Swanigan (Sylacauga, Ala.) earned her first start of the season and contributed five points, five rebounds and two steals. The forward also drilled two clutch free throws to knot the contest at 61-61 with one minute left in the second half.
With the loss, Marshall is now 1-6 in MAC openers since rejoining the league in 1997.
The Herd will return home after its five-game road swing (3-2) to face Kent State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Cam Henderson Center.
