Marshall University Athletics
Fifth Third Classic To Take Place Friday and Saturday
11/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2008
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - On Friday and Saturday, the Thundering Herd women's basketball team will host the Seventh Annual Fifth Third MU Classic. The University of Louisiana at Monroe and Morgan State open the tournament up Friday at 4 p.m. and will be followed by Marshall and Tennessee State at 7.
Saturday's opener will feature Tennessee State against either ULM or Morgan State at 2 p.m. with Marshall taking on the other one at 5.
Marshall enters the tournament with a perfect 2-0 record. After topping Appalachian State, 67-65, on the road last Friday, the Herd pulled away to defeat North Texas by a 78-69 margin on Monday evening.
Tynikki Crook has been the star for the Thundering Herd thus far. After scoring 16 points in the opener, Crook tallied a career high 21 points and 13 rebounds en route to the sixth double-double of her career.
Junior Alix Barnette has also gotten off to a hot start, averaging 13.5 PPG. What may be more important is that of her 27 points, 44% (12 points) have come in the last 3:21 of the contests. Against ASU, her late three-pointer was pivotal in Marshall's comeback while her consecutive buckets against North Texas in the final two minutes extended the MU lead from one possession to three.
Friday's opponent Tennessee State enters the weekend with a mark of 1-1. The Tigers opened their season with two opponents familiar to Marshall. In their opener, TSU topped Jackson State, a participant in last year's Fifth Third Classic, by a 62-46 margin. Tennessee State fell to C-USA favorite Southern Miss in their second contest, 79-57.
TSU is led by seniors Tiffany Jackson and Kendra Appling, who average 17.0 and 14.5 PPG, respectively. Jackson recorded a double-double against Southern Miss, finishing with 23 points and 11 boards.
In the opening contest of the tournament, ULM and Morgan State will square off. Like Tennessee State, the Warhawks enter the tournament with a record of 1-1. ULM opened the season with a 77-38 loss at Arkansas before topping Centenary by a 76-60 score on Tuesday evening. Senior Lottie Moore leads the Warhawks in scoring and rebounding, averaging 8.5 per game.
Morgan State is a perfect 3-0 coming into the weekend. The Lady Bears began the season by winning the UNC-Asheville Tournament last weekend. Morgan State rolled past William & Mary, 70-48, in the opener before holding off Fairfield in the championship, 57-55. They moved to 3-0 after topping North Carolina Central on Monday.
Junior Corin Adams has had a strong start the season, averaging 19.0 PPG and 5.0 RPG. She was named the MVP of the UNC-Asheville Tournament after scoring a career high 27 points against William & Mary.
This will mark the seventh year of the Fifth Third Classic. Marshall is 11-1 in the tournament. The only loss came in last season's championship game where the Herd fell to Pittsburgh, who finished the season ranked in the top 20. The score of that contest was 70-66. Morgan State makes its second appearance in the tournament. The Lady Bears fell to Marshall, 88-34, in 2003.
After the tournament, the team will have to off days before facing Morehead State on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
