Marshall University Athletics
Marshall's Third Trip to Texas Starts Thursday
3/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes
Live Video
HOUSTON, Tx. - The Marshall women's basketball team (12-15 overall, 4-12 Conference USA) travels to Rice (16-11, 7-9) Thursday for an 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT contest in Tudor Fieldhouse.
SCOUTING RICE
The Owls come into Thursday's matchup having won four of their last six games overall and three of their last four in Tudor Fieldhouse. They have a very balanced scoring and rebounding attack as Jasmine Goodwine averages 11.8 points, Nicole Iademarco 11.7 and Shani Rainey 11.6. On the glass, Lexie Ducat (4.8) leads five players who all average 4.4 caroms per game. Maya Hawkins leads the way in assists (135) and free throw percentage (85.5), while Goodwin is tops in blocks (11) and Wendy Knight (36) is the leader in steals. Iademarco's 54 3-pointers are the best on the team and Rainey's field goal percentage of 54.3 is the top mark on the squad.
The Owls are the best defensive team in the league, yielding just 60.3 points per game and a 29.7 percent clip from 3-point range. They do leave some points at the free throw line, however, as they are last in the conference at 63.7 percent.
MARSHALL IN CONFERENCE USA
The Thundering Herd leads C-USA (all games) in:
3-Point Field Goals Made: 7.9
CAREER-HIGHS
Tana Driver had a career-high four assists in Saturday's loss to Charlotte.
CHARITY STRIPE UPTICK
The Thundering Herd has significantly improved its free throw shooting over the last three contests, connecting on 77.3 percent (58-for-75). In the previous 24 games, Marshall shot just 63.1 percent (292-for-463). The biggest leap in that area has come from Talequia Hamilton (57.5 percent to 94.4 percent).
LONG-RANGE
Logan Fraley (2nd, 37.7) is currently in the school's top 10 in career 3-point percentage. Meanwhile, Shayna Gore (62) is fourth in Marshall's single-season 3-point records. AJ Johnson (72, 2014-15) holds that all-time mark).
IRONWOMAN
Hamilton has been extremely durable and dependable during her season and a half with the program. Not only has she played in all 60 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 11 of her last 15 games. In league games, she is second overall at 2.1 blocks per outing. Hamilton's one rejection vs. Charlotte gave her 87 for her career and into a tie with Lisa Pruner's (1980-84) seventh-place mark in the school's all-time records. In single-season blocks, her 49 this season is tied for fourth in school history.
ON PACE
This year's Thundering Herd is on pace (or nearly so, in some cases) to set its best marks under head coach Matt Daniel. Currently, they are:
72.2 points per game (70.5 in 2015-16)
42.6 field goal percentage (42.6 percentage in 2015-16)
7.9 3-pointers per game (6.6 in 2015-16)
31.9 3-point field goal percentage (31.5 percentage in 2014-15)
13.2 offensive rebounds (12.7 in 2013-14)
39.7 rebounds (38.4 in 2013-14)
4.9 blocks (4.4 in 2013-14)
2.1 blocks allowed (2.2 in 2012-13)
AKERS GOES LONG
Marshall junior McKenzie Akers is fourth in the school's record book with 130 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
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 fourth in Conference USA with 1.5 blocks per contest, while ranking fifth in offensive rebounds (3.1). She is also third on the team in rebounding at 6.3 per game. All of those stats have been accrued in just 15.6 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 had been working the interior and the arc for Marshall before missing the last five games due to injury. 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 her last five contests.
BLOCK PARTY
The Herd has more blocks than the opposition (or as many as) in all but three games (at North Carolina, at UTEP, vs. Old Dominion). 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).
