Marshall University Athletics
@HerdWBB Starts League Play Friday vs. FIU
12/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall women's basketball team (8-3) returns to the Cam Henderson Center Friday at 6 p.m. to face FIU (2-9) in the Conference USA opener for both schools.
SCOUTING FIU
The Panthers have two players, Alexis Gordon (11.1) and Kristian Hudson (10.8), who average double figures. Kiandre'a Pound (5.6) is the team's leading rebounder and shot blocker (eight). Hudson is also the squad's leader in assists (48) and steals (18). FIU is among the league's leaders in free throw percentage (3rd, .711), but are at the bottom of the conference in free throws made (108) and attempted (152). The team is also in the conference's top half (sixth) in 3-point percentage (.329). That effort is powered by Gordon's 2.7 3-pointers a game (second in C-USA) and long-range percentage (30-for-74, .405), which is fourth in the league.
MARSHALL IN CONFERENCE USA
The Thundering Herd leads the league in:
Field Goal Percentage Defense: .341
Rebounding Offense: 45.2
Rebounding Margin: +8.5
Defensive Rebounds: 29.7
3-Point Field Goals Made: 7.8
RECORD-SETTING DAY VERSUS MAINE-FORT KENT
Marshall drilled Maine-Fort Kent 136-62, a contest that rewrote the program's record book, once again. The Herd's 136 points established a Marshall basketball record for both the men's and women's programs. The new mark broke the old women's record of 127 from Dec. 22, 2014, against Brescia which also happened to be the Conference USA record for most points scored by one team in a game. The men's scoring record is 131 against Old Dominion from Feb. 27, 1968. Current head men's basketball coach Dan D'Antoni was a junior on that Herd squad.
The 74-point margin of victory was a program record, besting the old mark of 72 in a 100-28 Herd win over Bluefield State on Feb. 18, 1976.
Marshall's stat line of 55 made baskets, 88 shot attempts, 15 made three-pointers and 65 rebounds were all program-highs during the Matt Daniel era.
FRESHMAN INSIDE FORCE
Freshman forward Ashley Saintigene has been a force around the paint, offensively and defensively. Saintigene has recorded a block in all but one game this season (Maine-Fort Kent) and has 26 total. She leads the team in rebounds (84) and averages 7.6 per game. The Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., native was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week Dec. 12 and Dec. 23.
KB WORKING THE GLASS
Sophomore forward Khadaijia Brooks has been working the interior for Marshall in 2016-17. Brooks is second on the Herd with 82 rebounds, 7.5 per game. She has recorded at least five boards in all but one contest (Longwood) and grabbed a career-high 12 against Maine-Fort Kent, when she also recorded a career-high 22 points.
BLOCK PARTY
The Herd is averaging 5.6 blocks per game this season. Marshall recorded 10 blocks in the season debut at Illinois, the first time that the Herd had double-digit blocks in a game since March 5, 2014 against UTSA in an 81-76 overtime win when Marshall registered 11 swats. Against the Fighting Illini, redshirt-senior Talequia Hamilton led Marshall with a career-high five rejections. Freshman Ashley Saintigene had three blocks in her Herd debut (all coming in the second quarter). The freshman leads the team with 26 (2.4 per game) and has recorded at least one block in all but one game (Maine-Fort Kent.)
