Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Southern Miss
Marshall Women Take Down Southern Miss, 58-56
1/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 10, 2010
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Freshman Erica Woods scored a career-high 11 points as the Thundering Herd women's basketball team held off Southern Miss, 58-56, in front of 2,109 fans at the ninth-annual Jam the Cam game at the Cam Henderson Center on Sunday evening.
Woods hit 5-of-10 shots while tying her career best with six rebounds. Tynikki Crook led the way for Marshall (10-5, 2-1 C-USA), recording her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. She also recorded three blocks.
"I think the Herd fans won. They won the game for us tonight. We had a great crowd. They were helping us get through the tough times. They were there when we really needed them," head coach Royce Chadwick said. "They were harassing free throw shooters, they were loud, enthusiastic and I am absolutely sure that they made all the difference in the world in winning the game. So we are very appreciative for them showing up and making as much noise as possible."
"I know the game looked great on television. The Henderson Center was stuffed. We put our best foot forward and fortunately we were able to win the game. We made questionable plays at times but we kept fighting. We fought foul trouble and a lot of different things. But I think we played hard, especially down the stretch."
Things were looking up for Marshall early on as the Herd opened up a quick 23-11 advantage over the Golden Eagles (4-11, 0-2 C-USA) just over halfway through the first half. A jumper by Crook, her eighth of the half at that point, ended the run, which saw Marshall go up by 12.
Southern Miss closed the half on a 22-9 run to tie the game up at the half. The Herd hit just one of its last ten shot attempts of the half while the Golden Eagles made seven of their final 11 shots to knot the game.
It was game on in the second half as each team did its best to secure the win. The second period featured seven ties and nine lead changes. Neither team led by more than three points in the second half.
The deciding moment came with under five minutes remaining. With USM clinging to a 54-53 lead, Crook hit a pair of free throws to put MU back on top, 55-54. It was a lead the Herd would never relinquish, as USM would not record a field goal over the final five minutes. Despite making just one of its final seven shots, Marshall did what it had to do to win the game and end a six-game losing streak to the Golden Eagles.
After turning the ball over 27 times on Friday against UCF, the most it has committed in two years, Marshall took much better care of the ball, turning the ball over just 15 times. Chantelle Handy had a solid game for Marshall, scoring eight points and grabbing seven boards.
Kassietta Brown tallied a career-high 15 points to lead the Golden Eagles. Pauline Love and Candace Rucker scored 13 apiece. Love also recorded a double-double, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds.
Marshall moved to 10-1 when outrebounding the opposition, finishing with 43 rebounds while limiting USM to just 31. On the offensive glass, MU finished with a 13-5 edge, which led to a 20-4 advantage in second chance opportunities.
The Herd will take to the road for its next four contests, beginning with a trip to Houston next weekend to face Rice on Friday evening before taking on Houston on Sunday afternoon. Following the Capital Classic on January 20, the Herd will face Tulsa three days later. The next home game for the Herd women will be on January 28 when it welcomes Memphis to the Cam Henderson Center.
