Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Prairie View A&M (UTRGV Classic)
@HerdWBB Suffers Setback against Prairie View A&M
11/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Box Score (PDF)
EDINBURG, Texas - The Marshall women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season Saturday evening to the Prairie View A&M Panthers, 78-68. It was the Herd's final game of the Feast on the Border Classic hosted by the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley.
Marshall (4-1) began the game with a 7-0 run and eventually built the lead to 13 (20-7) with 3:17 remaining in the first. Senior guard Kiana Evans led the Herd with nine points in the first quarter and redshirt junior guard McKenzie Akers buried two 3-pointers to help Marshall build the lead.
For Akers, her two 3-pointers gave her 91 for her career and tied her with Amanda Eddinger (1990-94) for 10th place all-time in Marshall history.
The Panthers (3-3) fought back with a 12-0 run that covered just under six minutes from the end of the first quarter and into the second. Redshirt junior guard Taylor Porter ended the run with a free throw at the 7:13 mark in the second quarter. Evans gave Marshall a one-point advantage going into the half, 27-26, as the Huntington, W.Va., native converted two free throws with two seconds left.
The third quarter started with a made three-pointer by Prairie View A&M to take back the lead. The rest of the third was a tough battle as the lead went back and forth. The lead changed hands 11 times and the score was tied five times in the third quarter alone. The Panthers held a one-point edge at the end of the third, 46-45.
Prairie View A&M began the fourth quarter with another three-pointer, but then Marshall began to claw back. At the 7:41 mark, the Herd took the lead at 50-49 on a layup by Evans. Marshall went on a 6-0 run but the Panthers answered and took the lead back for good with a three-pointer with 4:23 remaining, 57-56. Prairie View converted 12-of-15 from the line over the final three minutes.
Four players for Marshall finished in double-figures. Evans led the way with 22. Porter chipped in 11 and sophomore guard Shayna Gore and Akers scored 10 apiece. For Akers, her 10 points was a season-high. Sophomore forward Khadaijia Brooks grabbed a team-high, and career-high, 11 rebounds. Freshman forward Ashley Saintigene recorded two blocks and has registered at least one rejection in every game this season.
COACH'S CORNER
Head Coach Matt Daniel:
Overall on the team's performance:
"I just think we weren't the best team tonight. It's a lesson we needed to learn and I kind of saw it coming. I think it was good for us. In the game, we were fouling them [late] trying to stretch the game out and we did but they were knocking down free throws. And they are not a great free throw shooting team but they did what they had to do to win the ball game. We just have to become tougher. Mentally and physically we need to be more disciplined in our assignments but that is why we took the trip and played back-to-back. Doing the things we're doing [with the schedule] I think it can help us and in the long run we will be better for it if we adjust."
On players that he has seen step up:
"Taylor Porter is really starting to get back in her groove, which is beneficial. Mckenzie (Akers) played a little bit better tonight I thought. We are searching on our roster, trying to get rotations down, trying to get ready for the conference season but I thought those two players had a good night tonight."
On Khadaijia Brooks career night in rebounds:
"She is fighting her tail off but that is nothing new. She has been doing that. I think we have the potential to have a good year but we have to get better that's for sure."
UP NEXT
Marshall returns to the Cam Henderson Center as Morgan State makes a visit to Huntington, W.Va., Wednesday Nov. 30. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. as part of a Herd basketball doubleheader.
