Marshall University Athletics
@HerdWBB Welcomes WKU for Saturday's #Play4Kay Contest
2/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes
Live Video
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall women's basketball team (12-10 overall, 4-7 Conference USA) hosts WKU (17-6, 9-2) on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET for a contest in the Cam Henderson Center. The game will be Marshall's annual #Play4Kay contest in support of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Fans who wear pink to the game will receive a special family 4-pack deal (your choice of four tickets for $14 admission or four tickets for $24 which includes admission, four popcorns and four soft drinks).
SCOUTING WKU
Being the Thundering Herd's travel partner, the Lady Toppers are also coming off a "bye" of sorts as they, like Marshall, did not play Thursday. They are led by Kendall Noble's 15.0 points per game, 114 assists and 62 steals. Ivy Brown is the team's leading rebounder (8.3) and has a team-high 27 blocks and a 56.6 field goal percentage that is the best mark in the conference, as is her 84.5 (49-for-58) free throw percentage. Jaycee Coe leads the way in 3-point makes (33). Micah Jones is the C-USA leader in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.2).
The Lady Toppers lead the league in a number of categories: scoring offense (75.5), scoring margin (+14.3), free throw percentage (77.4), turnover margin (+5.2), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2), offensive rebounds (15.0) and offensive rebounding percentage (40.3). They are 10th in C-USA in defensive rebounds per game (23.0). In conference-only games, they are also number one in scoring defense (58.6), rebounding defense (32.1) and defensive rebounding percentage (70.6). WKU comes into the game with three of the league's top 13 scorers (Noble-9th, 15.0; Tashia Brown-12th, 13.9; Ivy Brown-13th, 13.8).
In conference games, Noble is the league's leader in assists (6.1).
LAST TIME OUT
WKU won a 73-57 decision over Marshall on January 21 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, largely on the strength of a 22-6 run over the latter stages of the second quarter. Ivy Brown led the home team with 22 points (10-for-16 shooting) and seven rebounds, while Tashia Brown added 20 points. Noble had 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals. Marshall was led by Shayna Gore's 15 points, 13 of which came in the second half after she picked up two fouls in the game's first six minutes and sat the rest of the half. Kiana Evans added 12 points and Talequia Hamilton recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
MARSHALL IN CONFERENCE USA
The Thundering Herd leads C-USA (all games) in:
3-Point Field Goal Percentage Defense: 28.8
Defensive Rebounds: 27.6
3-Point Field Goals Made: 8.0
IRONWOMAN
Hamilton has been extremely durable and dependable during her season and a half with the program. Not only has she played in all 55 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 seven of her last 10 games. In league games, she is the conference's top shot blocker at 2.7 per outing, 0.5 ahead of second place. Hamilton's three rejections vs. Louisiana Tech gave her 83 for her career, four shy of Lisa Pruner's (1980-84) seventh-place mark of 87 in the school's all-time records. This season, she has been exceptional on the defensive end, registering 15 straight games with at least one block.
ON PACE
This year's Thundering Herd is on pace to set its best marks under head coach Matt Daniel. Currently, they are:
72.8 points per game (70.5 in 2015-16)
43.1 field goal percentage (42.6 percentage in 2015-16)
38.0 field goal percentage defense (38.0 percentage in 2014-15)
8.0 3-pointers per game (6.6 in 2015-16)
32.7 3-point field goal percentage (31.5 percentage in 2014-15)
28.8 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.4 percentage in 2014-15)
13.9 offensive rebounds (12.7 in 2013-14)
41.5 rebounds (38.4 in 2013-14)
5.4 blocks (4.4 in 2013-14)
2.0 blocks allowed (2.2 in 2012-13)
AKERS GOES LONG
Marshall junior McKenzie Akers is fourth in the school's record book with 124 3-pointers after passing Toni Patillo (121, 1997-2001). Next up is Cindy McCauley in third (131, 1994-98), followed by Natal Rosko in second (136, 1994-98) and Sikeetha Shepard-Hall (146, 2002-06).
STINGY DEFENSE
The Thundering Herd leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.8) and defensive rebounds (27.6). In Marshall's 12 wins, it has yielded just a 33.2 shooting percentage (244-for-736) and 23.7 (64-for-270) from 3-point range and has allowed more than 67 points just once (81, at UTSA). 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 is third in Conference USA with 1.7 blocks per contest, while ranking fifth in offensive rebounds (3.5). She is also second on the team in rebounding at 6.6 per game. All of those stats have been accrued in just 16.4 minutes per game. The Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., native was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week Dec. 12, Dec. 23 and Jan. 3.
KB WORKS GLASS, ARC
Sophomore forward Khadaijia Brooks has been working the interior and the arc for Marshall in 2016-17. Brooks is one of the team's leading rebounders with 6.5 caroms per game. She has recorded at least five boards in all but five contests 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). She has also greatly improved her 3-point shooting in 2016-17. Last season, she made just one of six attempts (16.7). This season, that figure is 35.1 percent (20-for-57). She went 4-for-4 against Maine-Fort Kent, but then made just one of her next 13 attempts over her next four games. She has since rebounded to connect on 10 of her last 17 long-range shots in the last five contests.
BLOCK PARTY
The Herd has more blocks than the opposition (or as many as) in all but two games (at North Carolina, at UTEP). 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).
