Owls Travel to Huntington for Saturday Afternoon Clash

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall women's basketball team (7-12 overall, 2-6 Conference USA) will host Florida Atlantic (9-11, 3-6) on Saturday. Tip time at the Cam Henderson Center is set for 1 p.m.

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Game Notes
Series History: 10th all-time meeting – Florida Atlantic leads 5-4
Last Meeting: January 17, 2019 in Huntington – Marshall won 72-67

Scouting the Owls
Florida Atlantic comes into Saturday's game following a 68-59 road loss to WKU on Thursday. The Owls get 15.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game from Crystal Primm, while Lotta Vehka-Aho (12.2) and Juliette Gauthier (11.4) also average double figures. Vehka-Aho leads in assists (2.8) and steals (1.8), as well. The Owls are very efficient at the free throw line as Gauthier's 87.2 percentage (third in C-USA) leads five players who have attempted at least 16 with a percentage 75 percent or higher.

Florida Atlantic was picked 10th in the league's preseason poll, while Marshall was tabbed 11th.

The Owls are third, as a team, in C-USA in free throw percentage at 73.1 percent, but 13th in scoring defense (69.9) and defensive rebounding percentage (64.1).

Last Time Out: Jan. 30 vs. FIU (L, 68-65)
Ieva Spigule drilled six 3-pointers off the bench for the visiting FIU women's basketball team to pace the Panthers in a 68-65 win over Marshall Thursday evening at the Cam Henderson Center.

FIU improved to 5-15 overall and 2-7 in Conference USA, while Marshall fell to 7-12 and 2-6 in the league.

Spigule had 18 of the Panthers' 30 bench points and led four visitors in double figures, which also included Chelsea Guimares (13), Fujika Niimo (11) and Diene Diane (10). Guimares also had team-highs in assists (4), blocks (3) and her 12 rebounds secured her fourth double-double of the season.

Marshall received 12 points and 12 rebounds from Princess Clemons for her first double-double in a Thundering Herd uniform. Savannah Wheeler also had a season/career-high 22 points and Taylor Pearson added 14. Clemons also had a team-high four assists and Khadaijia Brooks chipped in four steals.

The Panthers, who came into the game averaging just 4.5 3-pointers per game with a 28.9 percent average from deep, made 12 Thursday in 27 attempts (44.4 percent).

FIU built its first-half lead to as many as 16 (32-16) on an Alana Swift layup with 5:28 left, but the Thundering Herd ran off 32 of the game's next 47 points to take a one-point advantage on a Wheeler triple at the 3:21 mark of the third quarter.

The Panthers then used an 8-0 run to start the fourth quarter and held off Marshall in what became a one-possession game in the closing seconds.

"It was a disappointing result," said Marshall head coach Tony Kemper. "Give credit to FIU. They came in and made a bunch of shots and knocked us out. We have to make some big shots and plays and, right now, we're struggling to do that. I'm frustrated right now, and I think our team is too. We have to find a way to get out of the wilderness."

The Thundering Herd faces Florida Atlantic (9-11, 3-6) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Huntington. The Owls were downed 68-59 by WKU (13-6, 5-3) Thursday evening in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Getting Offensive
Marshall's 18 offensive rebounds against FIU were the most for the program in a league game since grabbing 19 in a 72-54 loss to Louisiana Tech on February 4, 2017.

Pearson's Resurgence
Marshall's Taylor Pearson has averaged 13.8 points over her last four games. That figure is up from her 4.7 per game clip over the previous six games.

Season/Career-Highs
In addition to Wheeler's and Clemons' career-highs above, Kristen Mayo tied a season-high with seven rebounds and Taylor Pearson equaled a career-high with six field goals.

Wheeler Attacks
Since entering the starting lineup at North Texas on January 4, Savannah Wheeler has gotten to the free throw line 50 times in those last seven games (7.1 per game), making 44 for 88 percent. In her previous 12 games, she got to the charity stripe just 38 times (3.2 per contest).

Leading and Leading Late
Marshall is 7-1 this season when leading at the half and 6-1 when leading with five minutes left in regulation. Since the beginning of last season, the Thundering Herd is 20-6 when leading at the break and 20-3 when leading at the five-minute mark.

Hitting the Glass, Controlling the Paint
The Thundering Herd is 14-5 since the start of last season when it outrebounds the opposition and 16-4 when it scores more in the paint.

Block Party
Senior Ashley Saintigene has returned to the Herd lineup with a vengeance this season on the defensive side. The senior has swatted 45 shots in 16 games to start the year. She has had two or more in 14 contests. Her season-high thus far is five in a win over Coppin State (11/19). Saintigene is currently 13th in the NCAA in blocks per game (2.81). As a team, Marshall is 24th in the country in blocks per game (4.9).

The Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., native is fourth all-time in program history in blocked shots with 126 and her 45 this season puts her sixth in Marshall's single-season records. She became the seventh player to hit the century mark with her third and final block at Evansville. Saintigene had an excellent start to her career with 42 blocks (1.45 per game) in her freshman season, seventh-most in Marshall history. She tallied just 22 her sophomore season as she only played in 12 games (1.83 per game) after suffering an injury. Saintigene came back to the Herd briefly in 2018-19 playing in just nine games before re-aggravating the injury, but still came away with 17 more swats (1.89 per game). The Herd record for most in a season is 117 by Sharon Deal in 1988-89. Deal averaged 4.2 per game which is still a Southern Conference record. Deal is also Marshall's all-time leader with 188 in a career that spanned just two seasons (1987-89).

Marshall's Single-Season Blocks Leaders
1. 117 - Sharon Deal - 1988-89
2. 71 - Sharon Deal - 1987-88
3. 54 - Chelsey Romero - 2013-14
    54 - Talequia Hamilton - 2016-17
5. 49 - Tynikki Crook - 2008-09
6. 45 - Ashley Saintigene - 2019-20
7. 43 - Talequia Hamilton - 2017-18
8. 42 - Ashley Saintigene - 2016-17
9. 40 - Modupe Ishola - 2006-07
    40 - Tynikki Crook - 2009-10
    40 - Leandra King - 2012-13
    40 - Chukwuka Ezeigbo - 2013-14

Marshall's Career Blocks Leaders
1. 188 - Sharon Deal (1987-89)
2. 153 - Tynikki Crook (2007-11)
3. 135 - Talequia Hamilton (2015-18)
4. 126 - Ashley Saintigene (2016-Pres.)
5. 119 - Modupe Ishola (2003-07)
    119 - Chelsey Romero (2013-16)
7. 115 - Chukwuka Ezeigbo (2011-15)
8. 91 - Chris McClurkin (1984-88)
9. 87 - Lisa Pruner (1980-84)
10. 71 - Tammy Simms (1986-87)
**Khadaijia Brooks currently has 69.**

Marshall's Career Field Goal Percentage Leaders (min. 200 attempts)
1. Modupe Ishola (57.4, 448-781), 2003-07
2. Chukwuka Eziegbo (55.4, 357-644), 2011-15
3. Kim Shepherd (52.2, 190-364), 1983-1985
4. Talequia Hamilton (50.9, 416-818), 2015-18
5. Chris McClurkin (50.8, 291-573), 1984-88
6. Tammy Simms (50.7, 292-576), 1986-88
7. Karen Pelphrey (50.5, 1175-2328), 1982-86
8. Ashley Saintigene (50.2, 160-319), 2016-Pres.
9. Kristina Behnfeldt (49.5, 664-1341), 1995-99
10. Jenette Reed (49.2, 126-256), 1989-93

Marshall's Career Free Throw Percentage Leaders (min. 100 attempts)
1. Taylor Porter (83.7, 144-172), 2015-19
2. Kristina Behnfeldt (82.0, 728-888), 1995-99
3. Shayna Gore (81.2, 336-411), 2015-19
4. Jenny Leavitt (80.7, 205-254), 1985-89
5. Lee Ann Parsley (79.5, 263-331), 1986-90
6. Reshundra Smiley (79.4, 85-107), 2004-06
7. Kristen Mayo (78.5, 102-130), 2017-Pres.
8. Karen Pelphrey (78.4, 396-505), 1982-86
9. Kim Lewis (77.8, 161-207), 1984-88
10. Catie Knable (76.1, 239-314), 2000-04

Ranked in the NCAA
Marshall is ranked in the top 100 in the NCAA in several categories.

24th in blocks per game - 4.9
33rd in field goal percentage defense - 35.7%
39th in total blocks - 94
59th in fewest turnovers - 275 (leads C-USA)
68th in 3-point field goals per game - 7.4
63rd in rebounds per game - 40.7
79th in fewest turnovers per game - 14.5
83rd in 3-point field goals made - 140
Ashley Saintigene is 13th in blocks per game (2.81)
Ashley Saintigene is 23rd in total blocks (45)
Savannah Wheeler is 31st in free throw percentage (85.2)
Savannah Wheeler is 65th in free throws made (75)

Notable Active Herd Streaks: (last game without stat in parentheses)
Taylor Pearson 52-straight games with a rebound (2/17/18 at WKU)
Khadaijia Brooks 43-straight games with a point (12/4/18 at Wisconsin)
Taylor Pearson 41-straight games with a point (12/4/18 at Wisconsin)
Kristen Mayo 40-straight games with a point (12/18/18 at Clemson)
Khadaijia Brooks 34-straight starts (1/17/19 at FAU)

A Great Start
Freshman Savannah Wheeler got off to a great beginning to her Marshall career scoring 18 points in her collegiate debut against Kentucky Christian, then adding 19 more versus Norfolk State. Wheeler was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week after scoring 37 combined points on 13-of-18 (72.2 percent) shooting from the field and 7-of-10 (70 percent) from three. She also tallied four steals against KCU. She is at 247 points for the season, averaging 13.0 per game. She got the first start of her career at North Texas (1/4) and responded by scoring 17 points. For the season, she is averaging 27.9 minutes per contest.

Defensive Struggle
The 98 combined points between Charlotte and Marshall on January 16 were the fewest in a Thundering Herd game since February 7, 2015 when North Texas edged Marshall 45-42 in Denton.

Perfection
Marshall went a perfect 13-for-13 at the free throw line at Old Dominion on January 18. The last time the Thundering Herd made more in a game without a miss was February 6, 2016 when it went 18-for-18 in an 80-76 win at UTSA.

Up Next
Marshall hits the road for a 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT game at Southern Miss on Thursday and a 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT tip at Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

For all of the latest information on the Marshall women's basketball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdWBB, Facebook at Marshall University Basketball and on www.herdzone.com.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!

Owls Travel to Huntington for Saturday Afternoon Clash

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Players Mentioned

Khadaijia Brooks

Princess Clemons

Shayna Gore

Kristen Mayo

Taylor Pearson

Taylor Porter

Ashley Saintigene

Savannah Wheeler

Marshall University Athletics