Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Virginia
Big Cavalier Second Half Stifles Herd Women
12/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2005
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia's 16-2 run to open the second half blew open a tightly-contested opening frame and allowed the Cavaliers to cruise to a 67-35 win over Marshall in women's basketball action at University Hall on Tuesday.
After trailing by only seven points, 26-19, at intermission, the Thundering Herd (5-4) fell victim to Virginia's strong rebounding and defense that allowed only 16 second-half points. Marshall's 35 total points is its lowest total since Belmont dealt the Herd a 75-28 loss on Jan. 8, 1977.
Modupe Ishola (Washington, D.C.) scored the first field goal of the second half to close Marshall's deficit to five points, 26-21, but it was all Virginia from that point on. Junior center Siedah Williams quickly responded to Ishola's layup as the Cavs scored 16 unanswered points to take a commanding 42-21 lead.
Williams' 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting led all scorers. Many of her field goals came as a result of sharp playmaking by sophomore guard Sharnee Zoll, whose career-high 13 assists is one off the Virginia single-game record. Zoll was one of two Cavs with a double-double as she netted 11 points to go along with a career-high seven steals. Freshman forward Lyndra Littles grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds with 13 points.
Three Marshall players - Ishola, Reshundra Smiley (Modesto, Calif.) and Mary Pat Statler (New Cumberland, W.Va.) - netted a team-high eight points. Guard Bridget Chacon (Las Cruces, N.M.) swiped a career-best four steals, along with a block, while forward Crystal Champion (Washington, D.C.) led MU with nine rebounds.
UVa (7-1) out-rebounded Marshall 44-29, with 23 offensive rebounds. The Cavs registered a 23-2 advantage in second chance points and recorded a 27-4 edge in points off turnovers. The Herd turned the ball over 22 times to the Cavs' seven.
"We got manhandled in the paint tonight," Marshall head coach Royce Chadwick said after UVa scored a 46-12 win in points in the paint.
After shooting at only a 27 percent clip in the first half, Virginia coach Debbie Ryan told her team to keep at it against an athletic Marshall squad.
"We were on our heels with their zone," Ryan said. "Marshall did a good job at spreading that zone to force us outside with their athleticism. We had to start penetrating to find the open shot."
The strategy worked as Virginia improved to 52.8 percent shooting in the second half with nine more field goals than it scored in the first.
Statler went 4-of-7 in the first half as all eight of her points were scored before halftime. She and the rest of the Herd found it difficult to get much offensive rhythm going in the second.
After a week break, the Herd will stay in ACC country as it will participate in Virginia Tech's Lady Luck Classic in Blacksburg. Marshall will take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 28 in the semifinal round and will face either the host Hokies or Longwood in the championship/consolation game the next day.
