Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Southern Illinois
Women's Basketball Stumps Salukis, 82-59
11/27/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2013
Final Stats | Quotes | Final Book 
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - With all 11 participating Thundering Herd players reaching the scoreboard, the Marshall women's basketball team responded to a three-game losing streak in dominant fashion by defeating Southern Illinois, 82-59, Wednesday afternoon at Cam Henderson Center.
"I think we're learning about adversity," Marshall coach Matt Daniel said. "If you think about what we have done, we've had adversity all season. They're diving in the stands for loose balls, because they're starving for an outcome that proves their hard work is paying off."
Marshall improved to 2-3 overall with the win, while SIU remained winless on the season at 0-5.
The Herd stayed on top for most of the first half, leading by as many as eight points at the 14-minute mark. SIU gained its first and only lead of the game after a three-minute, 10-to-2 run, which included back-to-back three-pointers from junior Ariel Haynes, putting the Salukis up, 26-25, with 6:21 until the break. Marshall recovered less than a minute later after an Erica Woods (St. George, Bermuda) layup, and never surrendered the lead again. At the first buzzer, the Herd led, 40-35.
Midway through the game, senior Suporia Dickens (Freeport, Ill.) had paced the team with 12 points, going 3-of-3 from three-point range. She ended the game with a team-high and season-high 16 points.
Opening the second half on a 10-to-4 run, the Herd never looked back as it led by double-digits for the final 15 minutes of the game. Marshall's biggest margin of the game (23) came with 37 seconds remaining as a Kiana Evans (Huntington) free throw sealed the final score at 82-59.
Marshall's 82 points marks the most scored by the Herd since an 83-66 victory over Morehead State, Nov. 23, 2011. Three Herd players reached double-digits: Leah Scott (Detroit) - 11, Chukwuka Ezeigbo (Trenton, N.J.) - 12, Dickens - 16. The Herd held a healthy advantage in rebounds, 38-23, and turned the ball over only nine times, the least since a SMU loss, March 7, 2012 (10). The Herd's bench sizably outscored the Salukis' bench, 41-11.
Midway through a six-game home stand, Marshall next hosts Eastern Kentucky, Tuesday, Dec. 3, at Cam Henderson Center. For all the latest information about Marshall women's basketball, follow @HerdWBB on Twitter.
---HerdZone.com---
