Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Louisiana Tech
Lady Techsters Hold Off Second-Half Herd Charge
1/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Quotes | Daniel Press Conference
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall women's basketball dropped a heartbreaker to Conference USA opponent Louisiana Tech Saturday afternoon, falling 68-67 in the final second of the contest.
The Herd dropped to 13-7, 5-4 C-USA, while the Lady Techsters improved to 11-9 and 6-3 in the league.
Marshall was paced by senior Chukwuka Ezeigbo's (Trenton, N.J.) 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Fellow seniors Leah Scott (Detroit) and AJ Johnson (Silver Spring, Md.) added 14 points apiece. Scott also posted nine rebounds and three steals.
The Lady Techsters were led by 18 points from Whitney Frazier, while Chrisstasia Walter had 11 points and 10 assists and three steals. Kelia Shelton had 15 points off the bench and Keivone Moten had seven points and seven rebounds.
Scott netted the first basket of the game and the Herd remained in control for the first eight minutes of the half. However, Marshall hit a cold spell and a layup from Walter pushed the Lady Techsters ahead. The visitors went ahead by an eight-point margin (14-6) on a 3-pointer by Shelton at the 12:02 mark.
A layup from Ezeigbo knotted the affair at 14-all, but LA Tech swiped the lead once more following the break. The Lady Techsters maintained the advantage, taking a three point lead into the half (25-22).
Marshall came into the final stanza fighting, but suffered early from hot Lady Techster shooting. LA Tech went on a 7-0 run midway through the half and then made six-of-eight field goals. The Herd found itself facing a 53-40 deficit, its largest of the game, with seven and a half minutes remaining.
The game's momentum then changed dramatically, when Scott made five of the Herd's next seven baskets, sinking nine unanswered points to close the gap against the Lady Techsters. A layup from junior Norrisha Victrum (Columbia, S.C.) brought the Herd to within three at 59-56 with just under four minutes to play.
Back-and-forth scoring ensued down the stretch. At the 1:56 mark, Johnson netted her second 3-pointer of the game and pulled the crowd to the edge of their seats as MU trailed 62-61 with 1:58 to play.
The one point difference remained until just 30 seconds in the contest, when Walter made a free throw (65-63) and Frazier followed suit to put the Lady Techsters up by three again, 66-63, with 18 seconds left. Marshall quickly responded with an Ezeigbo layup with nine seconds left to cut the difference once more to one.
Scott fouled in the backcourt, but Walter made just one of two free throws. Scott got the rebound and dished to Victrum who drew a foul from Walter with five seconds left. Victrum then made both free throws to tie the game at 67-all.
After the two makes, Shelton drove down the right side of the floor and the Herd's Aja Sorrells fouled her on the jumpshot with 0.8 seconds left. Shelton then missed the first but made the second for the final margin.
The Lady Techsters held a 27-11 edge in bench scoring.
Ezeigbo finished with her 10th double-double of the season.
The Herd got off just 15 3-point attempts after launching 34 in Thursday's win over Southern Miss.
Marshall will be back in action Thursday when it travels to Rice for a 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT tip. The Owls are 6-12 overall and 1-6 in the league, heading into tomorrow afternoon's game with North Texas.
