Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
North Texas
North Texas Takes Defensive Struggle in Denton
2/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DENTON, Tx. -- Host North Texas got 12 points from Kasiney Williams and 11 from BreAnna Dawkins to defeat Marshall 45-42 Saturday evening at the Super Pit.
The Mean Green improved to 3-18 overall and 2-8 in Conference USA, while Marshall fell to 14-8 and 6-5 in the league.
NT got six rebounds apiece from Achell Tac and JohVonn Darrington.
Marshall was led by Chukwuka Ezeigbo's 11th double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds). Leah Scott, who was limited to seven first-half minutes due to foul trouble, had three assists.
The Mean Green built three four-point leads in the first half, but the Herd hung tough despite cold shooting, which plagued both teams throughout the game.
The Herd nosed back in front by a point in the second half, but lost the lead for good when Terra Ellison hit a jumper with 7:33 left to give the home team a 34-33 lead.
NT grew the advantage to as many as seven (42-35) on an Eboniey Jeter layup with 3:51 to go, but the Herd still had a chance to tie at the end.
After a Norrisha Victrum layup (her only points of the game) cut the margin to two (44-42) with 10 seconds left, Jeter only managed to split her free throws. Marshall pushed the ball back down the floor, but Aja Sorrells' desperation 3-pointer was short of its mark.
Marshall dominated points in the paint 22-6, but was behind in points off turnovers 17-5.
The Mean Green played without its best player, Briesha Wynn (11.4 points, 6.7 rebounds per game), while Marshall was without long-range sniper McKenzie Akers (34 3-pointers). Both suffered injuries in Thursday's action.
"Our kids were tired, you could tell it in their legs," said Marshall head coach Matt Daniel. "When we land in Huntington, we'll be in our eighth airport in four days and it wore on us. We have to play better though. It's not a time to hang our heads or pout or hoop and holler if you're on the other side of it. It hurt us not having Akers and I thought we had trouble scoring the ball even though we competed defensively. We just couldn't do it well enough to pull one out on the road."
Marshall will be back in action next Saturday at Western Kentucky at 2 p.m. The Hilltoppers (20-4, 9-2) defeated Rice 83-76 in Houston Saturday afternoon.
