Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Begins Second Texas Swing Thursday
1/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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SAN ANTONIO, Tx. - The Marshall women's basketball team (11-7 overall, 3-4 Conference USA) travels to UTSA (9-8, 5-1) on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT for a contest in the UTSA Convocation Center.
SCOUTING UTSA
The Roadrunners are coming off a 97-76 drubbing of UTEP and currently sit fourth in the league standings. They are led by Loryn Goodwin's 18.2 points per game, 66 assists and 56 steals. Tesha Smith is the team's leading rebounder with 7.8 caroms per contest. Carlie Heineman has a program-best 35 3-pointers and Marie Benson leads the way with 12 blocks. The Roadrunners rank second in the league in steals per game (10.5) but are 13th in field goal percentage (.387), 3-point field goal percentage (.290) and assists (10.7).
MARSHALL IN CONFERENCE USA
The Thundering Herd leads C-USA (all games) in:
Field Goal Percentage Defense: .371
3-Point Field Goal Percentage Defense: .277
Defensive Rebounds: 28.2
Defensive Rebounding Percentage: .681
3-Point Field Goals Made: 7.6
The Thundering Herd leads C-USA (league games only) in:
Blocked Shots: 5.4
ALEXANDER SEEING MORE
Asheika Alexander has steadily seen more time as the season has progressed. She played just 11.1 minutes per game in the first nine games of the season, but that number has climbed to 16.9 in the last nine contests. Additionally, her rebounding has grown from 1.6 to 4.1 caroms per game during that stretch.
IRONWOMAN
Hamilton has been extremely durable and dependable during her season and a half with the program. Not only has she played in all 51 of Marshall's games during that period, but she has started all of them as well. She has been especially effective of late, registering double-figure scoring in five of her last six games and connecting on 21 of her last 34 field goals (.618) in her last four. In league games, she is far and away the conference's top shot blocker at 2.9 per outing, 1.2 ahead of second place. Hamilton's two rejections at WKU gave her 69 for her career, two shy of Tammy Simms' (1986-87) eighth-place mark of 71 in the school's all-time records. This season, she has been exceptional on the defensive end, registering 11 straight games with at least one block and seven in a row with two or more.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Thundering Herd is 9-1 at home this season, where it averages 77.6 points, .462 shooting from the field (282-for-611) and 79-for-229 (.345) from downtown. It also outrebounds the opposition 44.8 to 35.1 and has a staggering 62-15 edge in blocked shots. In fact, Marshall has won 19 consecutive non-conference games in the Cam Henderson Center. Its last loss was a 72-68 setback against Navy on Dec. 29, 2013.
ON PACE
This year's Thundering Herd is on pace to set its best marks under head coach Matt Daniel. Currently, they are:
72.7 points per game (70.5 in 2015-16)
.429 FG% (.426 in 2015-16)
.371 FG% defense (.380 in 2014-15)
7.6 3-pointers per game (6.6 in 2015-16)
.316 3FG% (.315 in 2014-15)
.277 3FG% defense (.294 in 2014-15)
42.1 rebounds (38.4 in 2013-14)
13.8 offensive rebounds (12.7 in 2013-14)
5.6 blocks (4.4 in 2013-14)
1.9 blocks allowed (2.2 in 2012-13)
12.9 assists allowed (13.2 in 2014-15)
STREAKING
The Thundering Herd has had more (or as many) blocks than the opposition in 10 straight games.
ALL FOUR
Marshall has not been outscored in any quarter this season. The totals are below:
First quarter: 350-265
Second quarter: 291-286
Third quarter: 346-290
Fourth quarter: 321-294
SECOND-CHANCE SUCCESS
Much has been made of Marshall's excellent defensive rebounding numbers, but the program has gotten it done on the offensive end as well, placing fourth in Conference USA with 13.9 per game. That total has helped the Thundering Herd tally more (or as many) second chance points than the opposition in eight of its last 11 games.
AKERS GOES LONG
Marshall junior McKenzie Akers is sixth in the school's record book with 116 3-pointers and is now hunting down former teammate AJ Johnson (117, 2013-15) for fifth. Toni Patillo (121, 1997-2001) is fourth.
STINGY DEFENSE
The Thundering Herd leads the league in field goal percentage defense (.377), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.277), defensive rebounds (28.2) and defensive rebounding percentage (.681). In Marshall's 11 wins, it has yielded just a .322 shooting percentage (215-for-667) and .236 (59-for-250) from 3-point range and hasn't allowed more than 67 points (Florida A&M). In fact, dating back to last season, Marshall has won 18 straight games when allowing 68 points or less (L at Middle Tennessee, 65-54, 1/28/16).
FRESHMAN INSIDE FORCE
Freshman forward Ashley Saintigene has been a force around the paint. Saintigene leads Conference USA with 2.0 blocks per contest, while ranking fourth in offensive rebounds (3.8). She is also tied for the team lead (with Khadaijia Brooks) in rebounding at 7.0 per game. All of those stats have been accrued in just 16.7 minutes per game. The Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., native was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week Dec. 12, Dec. 23 and Jan. 3.
KB WORKING THE GLASS
Sophomore forward Khadaijia Brooks has been working the interior for Marshall in 2016-17. Brooks is one of the team's leading rebounders with 7.0 caroms per game (ninth in C-USA). She has recorded at least five boards in all but three contests (Longwood, UAB, at WKU) and grabbed a career-high 12 against Maine-Fort Kent, when she also posted a career-high 22 points. She recorded back-to-back double-doubles at Charlotte (12 points, 10 rebounds) and versus Middle Tennessee (11 points, 10 rebounds).
BLOCK PARTY
The Herd leads the league (conference games only) in blocked shots (5.4) per game this season and has more blocks than the opposition in all but one game (at North Carolina). Marshall recorded 10 blocks in the season debut at Illinois and followed that with 11 swats versus FIU on Dec. 30. 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).
