Marshall University Athletics
Houston Baptist Up Next For Women's Hoops
12/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 15, 2008
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - On Tuesday, the Marshall University women's basketball team will return to action against Houston Baptist at 7 p.m. at the Cam Henderson Center.
Marshall fell to 5-3 following a 67-53 loss to Ohio U. on Saturday. It marked the second straight loss for the Thundering Herd, who fell to Seton Hall the week before.
Sophomore Tynikki Crook continues to lead the Herd in scoring, averaging 15.4 PPG. Crook chipped in 12 points in the loss to the Bobcats. It marked her seventh double digit scoring effort in the first eight games.
Junior Chantelle Handy was the star for the Herd on Saturday, tying her single game mark in scoring and rebounding with 16 points and 13 boards. It also marked the second double-double of her career and first of the season.
The shooting of the Herd has been a major part of its struggles over the last two games. In the opening six contests, Marshall averaged 72.2 PPG, shooting .489 from the field while the last two contests have seen MU average just 52.5 PPG while shooting .354.
Marshall has also struggled from three-point range in the last two losses. After hitting 41.9% of its treys in the opening six games, the Herd offense has gone just 3-of-18 (.167) beyond the arc. The loss also dropped Marshall to 0-3 in games played on Saturday and 3-10 in Saturday games since the beginning of last season.
Houston Baptist enters Tuesday with a 3-7 record. The Huskies will be playing the third game of a four-game road trip. They opened the trip up with an 81-69 win over Eastern Kentucky before falling to Morehead State, 70-62, Sunday. A trip to Murray State wraps up the trip on Friday.
The Huskies pose an interesting threat as they spread around their scoring. Megan Morris is the only player averaging double digits with 10.0 PPG, but four players average between 8.2 and 9.6 PPG.
Tuesday's game will mark the first meeting between the schools. Last season, the Herd played at Houston Baptist's home arena, Sharp Gym. Marshall lost a 68-64 decision to the Owls, who played at several venues last season while their home arena underwent renovations.
Following the game against Houston Baptist, the Herd will host Richmond, who is currently 8-1. The Herd and Spiders will square off Saturday at 3 p.m. in a doubleheader with the men's team, who will take on the University of the Cumberlands.
