Marshall University Athletics
Herd Welcomes WKU Sunday for Televised Battle
2/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes
Live Audio!
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
WKU is 18-4 overall and third in Conference USA at 9-2. Tashia Brown is the team's leading scorer at 17.8 points per game. Ivy Brown is the top rebounder at 9.0 per contest and has the team lead in blocks with 28. Kendall Noble averages 16.8 points per game as has a team-high 112 assists, 58 steals and .420 3-point percentage. Jaylinn McClain leads the way in field goal percentage (.540). Dee Givens (.818) is the top free throw shooter. WKU leads the league in blocked shots (5.0 per game), offensive rebounds (16.2) and offensive rebounding percentage (.426) but is 13th in defensive rebounds, snaring just 23.2 per game.
STREAKING!
Marshall is currently riding a three-game Conference USA win streak for the first time since the beginning of the 2011-12 campaign when the Thundering Herd won at Houston (65-41), vs. Tulsa (63-45) and vs. Southern Miss (55-44) in succession. The last time the program had a longer league winning streak was the 2008-09 campaign when the team won five straight (at SMU, at Tulsa, East Carolina, UAB, Memphis) from Jan. 8 to Jan. 24.
REJECTION!
Marshall is the only team in Conference USA to sport three players among the top 15 in blocks (Romero-4th, 1.3), Hamilton (T-6th, 1.2) and Scott (14th, 0.7). In league games, Marshall is atop the list at 4.4 blocks per contest.
CONSISTENCY
Marshall point guard Norrisha Victrum has become a more consistent scorer since the calendar turned to 2016. In her first 12 games this season, she notched double figures just five times. In her last 10 contests, she has hit that mark in seven games and has been the team's second-leading scorer at 10.5 per game.
LEADER!
Victrum (2.1) is second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.
FREE THROW ACCURACY
The Thundering Herd went a perfect 18-for-18 from the free throw line in the 80-76 win over UTSA. The last time the program didn't miss was March 5, 2009 when MU also went 18-for-18 in a 76-57 win over Memphis. Talequia Hamilton has significantly improved her charity-stripe shooting in the Thundering Herd's 11 conference games, going 24-for-31 (.774). In 11 non-conference games, she went just 17-for-29 (.586).
SEASON-HIGHS
Victrum's 19 points in the 80-76 win over UTSA was a season-high as was Khadaijia Brooks's three steals.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
The Herd is outstanding when the following happens:
15-0 leading with five minutes left
13-0 leading at half
8-0 holding opponents to 60 points or less
11-1 when outrebounding opposition
15-3 when making more free throws
12-3 when three or more players get double digits
RECORD BOOK WATCH
The Herd has a few players who are approaching career milestones and rising up the ranks of the program record book.
Senior Leah Scott has scored 370 points this season for a career total of 1,203. She is the 19th player in team history to score 1,000. Scott currently ranks in a tie for eighth and needs one to pass Kristi Huff (1988-92) for eighth. She also ranks sixth all-time with 296 free throws made.
Senior Norrisha Victrum can also be found in a few places in the record book. Victrum has 346 assists and has passed Kim Lewis (1984-1988) for fifth place in the school's all-time records. Victrum is currently tied for sixth in 3-point field goals made (108) and needs 88 points to become the 20th player to reach 1,000 for her career.
Junior Chelsey Romero has 27 blocks this season to give her a career total of 111. She is in fifth place all-time and is the fifth player in program history with 100 in a career. She needs five more rejections to pass former teammate Chukwuka Ezeigbo (2011-15) for fourth on the school's all-time list.
