Marshall University Athletics
@HerdWBB Hits the Road in Conference USA Action
1/4/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall women's basketball team (10-3 overall, 2-0 Conference USA) hits the road to play Old Dominion (6-7, 1-1) Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Ted Constant Center.
SCOUTING OLD DOMINION
The Lady Monarchs are 6-7 overall and 1-1 in Conference USA after coming off a win at Rice (59-47) and a loss at North Texas (65-55). ODU has perhaps the league's most dynamic player in Jennie Simms, who leads the conference with 24.2 points per game and leads the team with 21 3-pointers, a .796 free throw percentage (82-for-103), 42 assists and 21 steals. Destinee Young averages a double-double (11.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg) and has 16 blocks to go with her .489 field goal percentage (65-for-133). Her 11.0 rebounds per contest is also the highest average in the league. The duo is extremely effective on the offensive glass as they combine for 13.4 (Young 6.8, Simms 6.6), which are, again, the league's top two totals. As a team, the Lady Monarchs are second in C-USA with 42.8 rebounds per game, a +5.4 rebounding margin, 28.7 offensive rebounds and a .675 defensive rebounding percentage. However, they rank 13th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.355), turnover margin (-4.4) and 3-pointers made (4.4).
CAREER-HIGHS
Marshall's Talequia Hamilton had a career-high 12 rebounds in her double-double effort Sunday versus Florida Atlantic. Kiana Evans played a career-high 35 minutes.
IRONWOMAN
Hamilton has been extremely durable and dependable during her season and a half with the program. Not only has she played in all 46 of Marshall's games during that period, but she has started all of them as well.
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, ranking second in Conference USA with 15.5 per game. That total has helped the Thundering Herd tally more second chance points than the opposition in each of its last six games.
TAKING GOOD CARE
The Thundering Herd committed just five turnovers in the 76-53 win over Florida Atlantic, the fewest for the program in at least 16 seasons, which is as far back as the department's electronic records extend. Marshall has won nine straight games when it has fewer turnovers than (or as many as) the opposition, dating back to last season's 79-73 loss to Middle Tennessee on Feb. 27, 2016.
AKERS STEPS UP
Marshall's Taylor Porter has missed the last five games due to injury but fellow junior McKenzie Akers has stepped up in her absence. She has averaged 11.8 points per game during that stretch and has hit double-digits in each of those contests. In the last five, she has connected on 16-for-35 (.457) from 3-point range and sports a 14 to 4 assist-to-turnover ratio. For her career, she is seventh in the school's record book with 112 3-pointers and is now hunting down former teammate Norrisha Victrum (115, 2013-16) for sixth.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Thundering Herd is 8-0 at home this season, where it averages 81.5 points, shooting .467 from the field (237-for-508) and 71-for-197 (.360) from downtown. It also outrebounds the opposition 47.0 to 34.5 and has a staggering 52-9 edge in blocked shots.
STINGY DEFENSE
The Thundering Herd leads the league in field goal percentage defense (.340), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.252), defensive rebounds (29.7) and defensive rebounding percentage (.688). In Marshall's 10 wins, it has yielded just a .317 shooting percentage (192-for-606) and .230 (51-for-222) 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 17 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, offensively and defensively. Saintigene has recorded a block in all but one game this season (Maine-Fort Kent) and leads Conference USA with 2.5 per contest, while ranking second in offensive rebounds (4.3). She also leads the team in total rebounds with 7.8 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 second on the Herd (and ninth n C-USA) with 7.3 caroms 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 posted a career-high 22 points.
BLOCK PARTY
The Herd is second in C-USA with 6.0 blocks per game this season. 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).
