Marshall University Athletics
Pair Of Games Against League Leaders Awaits Herd Women
2/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2009
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Thundering Herd women's basketball team returns home for a pair of Conference USA contests over the weekend against the top two teams in the leauge.
A visit by UCF begins the weekend on Friday evening at 7 p.m. before Southern Miss comes to town at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. That game will be televised on ESPN2 and will mark the Eighth Annual Jam the Cam game.
Marshall will be looking to snap a four-game skid, which included a 71-62 loss to UTEP on Sunday. Alix Barnette tied her season-high, scoring 15 points against the Miners. She was joined in double figures by Tynikki Crook.
Crook has been the Herd's top scoring threat as of late, recording 12 or more points in the last eight games, including a career-best 25 points against WVU.
Alyssa Hammond is the leading scorer for the Herd in conference play, averaging 13.4 points per game. In the first meeting against UCF two weeks ago in Orlando, Hammond set a new career mark with 25 points. With a nine-point effort against the Miners, she eclipsed the 800-point mark for her career. She currently stands at 802.
This weekend's opponents, No. 1 and 2 in the league, are a combined 17-3 in league play, beginning with UCF. The Knights enter Friday's contest with a 10-13 record, but have turned it on since the new year, reeling off an 8-2 mark in its first ten C-USA games.
They are winners of their last four games, including a 75-67 win over the Herd in Orlando. That game saw Chelsie Wiley of the Knights score 30 points while hitting 7-of-9 three-pointers.
Emma Cannon is the leading scorer for UCF, averaging 15.0 PPG. She is also the leading rebounder in the conference, averaging 10.7 per game.
Sunday's opponent, Southern Miss, is currently 9-1 in league play. Following a loss in to UCF in their C-USA opener, the Golden Eagles have won nine straight games, one of which being a 70-64 win over the Herd in Hattiesburg.
That game saw Marshall overcome a 17-point halftime deficit to take a lead in the final minutes before USM hit a late three and sealed the game from the free throw line.
Pauline Love is averaging a double-double per game for Southern Miss. Her 16.4 PPG is fourth in C-USA while her 10.5 RPG is second in the league behind UCF's Emma Cannon.
Several promotions have been announced for Sunday's Jam the Cam game. Click here for more information.
