Herd Women Host North Texas on Senior Day

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall women's basketball team (11-15 overall, 6-9 Conference USA) will host North Texas (10-17, 4-11) on Saturday. Tip time at the Cam Henderson Center is 1 p.m. ET.

The program will also recognize Princess Clemons, Brie Toney, Khadaijia Brooks and manager Maggie Stanley as part of its annual Senior Day festivities prior to the start of the contest.

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Game Notes
Series History: 10th all-time meeting – Marshall leads 6-3
Last Meeting: January 4, 2020 in Denton, Texas – Marshall won 68-59

Last Time Out: Feb. 22 vs. ODU (L, 64-54)
Victoria Morris scored a game-high 18 points on five 3-pointers to lead the visiting Old Dominion women's basketball team to a 64-54 wire-to-wire win Saturday afternoon in the Cam Henderson Center.

The Monarchs improved to 23-4 overall and 13-2 in Conference USA, while the Thundering Herd dropped to 11-15 and 6-9.

Morris was joined in double digits by Taylor Edwards and Amari Young, who each had 12. Ajah Wayne had a game-high 10 boards to power a Monarch rebounding effort that won the battle on the glass by 20 (53-33), including 17-4 on the offensive end. Edwards also had a game-high four assists.

Marshall was led by Kia Sivils, who set a new career-high with three 3-pointers and tied a career mark with 16 points off the bench. Savannah Wheeler chipped in 14 and four steals and Kristen Mayo tallied 13 points. Khadaijia Brooks grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

The first quarter provided a deficit from which Marshall couldn't recover as the Thundering Herd made just two of its 13 shots and trailed by 11 (18-7). The lead grew to as many as 22 twice in the third quarter, the last on an Edwards free throw at the 2:39 mark (50-28).

Marshall answered the challenge in the fourth period, outscoring the visitors 20-12 and got within seven (60-53) on a three-point play by Wheeler at the 1:26 mark. The Monarchs then added a Wayne basket and two free throws to account for the final margin.

With FIU's (5-21, 2-13) 62-52 loss at Louisiana Tech on Saturday, the Thundering Herd did manage to clinch a spot in the 2020 Conference USA Tournament, which will be contested March 11-14 in Frisco, Texas.

"You have to begin by crediting Old Dominion," said Marshall head coach Tony Kemper. "That is one of, if not, the best teams in our league. They clearly came ready to play. They lost on Thursday (at Charlotte), and I thought they showed championship mettle. They have three games left to try to win the regular season league championship and I thought they showed up looking like that's what they want to do."

"The flip side is, I didn't think we showed up with the effort that it takes to beat a team like that. It took us a long time to get to that level of focus, energy and effort. That, for me, is frustrating. I think the group in our locker room is frustrated by that as well."

Stolen!
Marshall has had more steals than the opposition in seven of its last eight games. Individually, Princess Clemons has averaged 1.5 per game in league play, which is tied for 15th in C-USA.

Wheeler Named C-USA Freshman of the Week
Freshman Savannah Wheeler was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Feb. 17.

Wheeler provided a spark for the Thundering Herd as it blew past UTSA and UTEP at home. She averaged 14.5 points, three rebounds and three assists, and shined at the perimeter with a 6-for-11 clip. She racked up 13 points with three treys and four rebounds against the Roadrunners, followed by a 16-point effort when Marshall hosted UTEP. Wheeler went 5-of-10 from the floor versus the Miners, knocking down three more long-range shots with five assists and two rebounds.

66+
The Thundering Herd is 9-1 this season when reaching the 66-point mark. The lone loss was an 82-69 setback to Bowling Green on December 7.

Making Them Count
Marshall has had a higher free throw percentage than the opposition in its last 14 games. That's nothing new for the Thundering Herd. Last season, Marshall had a 13-game streak of free throw percentage equal to, or better, than its opponents (January 19 to March 13). In these last 14 games, the Herd has connected on 74.7 percent (201-for-269) compared to 58.8 percent (163-for-277) for its opponents. Against UTSA, the Herd made all 17 of its attempts, a number that is tied for fourth nationally among those schools who have posted a perfect single-game percentage. 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. For the season, Marshall ranks second in C-USA games at 74.2 percent (210-for-283).

Pearson's Resurgence
Marshall's Taylor Pearson has averaged 14.1 points over her last 12 games. That figure is up from her 4.7 per game clip over the previous six games. On the season, she is third in the league in 3-point percentage (38.9 percent).

Season/Career-Highs
Kia Sivils set a new career-high with three 3-pointers and tied a career-high with 16 points in the loss to Old Dominion on February 22. She also tied a season-high with 29 minutes played.

Wheeler Attacks
Since entering the starting lineup at North Texas on January 4, Savannah Wheeler has gotten to the free throw line 95 times in those last 14 games (6.8 per game), making 80 for 84.2 percent. In her previous 12 games, she got to the charity stripe just 38 times (3.2 per contest). Wheeler is currently the only freshman, nationally, who ranks in the top 50 in free throws made (47th, 111) and free throw percentage (49th, 83.5).

Leading and Leading Late
Marshall is 11-1 this season when leading at the half and 10-1 when leading with five minutes left in regulation. Since the beginning of last season, the Thundering Herd is 24-6 when leading at the break and 24-3 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 17-6 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).

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-Present)
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. 74 - Khadaijia Brooks (2015-Present)

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-Present
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. Savannah Wheeler (83.5, 111-133), 2019-Present
3. Kristina Behnfeldt (82.0, 728-888), 1995-99
4. Shayna Gore (81.2, 336-411), 2015-19
5. Jenny Leavitt (80.7, 205-254), 1985-89
6. Lee Ann Parsley (79.5, 263-331), 1986-90
7. Reshundra Smiley (79.4, 85-107), 2004-06
8. Karen Pelphrey (78.4, 396-505), 1982-86
9. Kim Lewis (77.8, 161-207), 1984-88
10. Kristen Mayo (77.9, 120-154), 2017-Present

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

41st in fewest turnovers - 362 (leads C-USA)
47th in 3-point field goals per game - 7.7
52nd in field goal percentage defense - 36.8%
57th in blocks per game - 4.3
58th in fewest turnovers per game - 13.9
59th in 3-point field goals made - 199
66th in total blocks - 111
Savannah Wheeler is 47th in free throws made (111)
Savannah Wheeler is 49th in free throw percentage (83.5)
Ashley Saintigene is 63rd in total blocks (45)
Savannah Wheeler is 89th in free throw attempts (133)

Notable Active Herd Streaks: (last game without stat in parentheses)
Taylor Pearson 59-straight games with a rebound (2/17/18 at WKU)
Taylor Pearson 48-straight games with a point (12/4/18 at Wisconsin)
Kristen Mayo 47-straight games with a point (12/18/18 at Clemson)
Khadaijia Brooks 41-straight starts (1/17/19 at FAU)

Hot Shooting
Marshall's 55.1 percent field goal shooting (27-for-49) in the 76-66 win over UTEP was the highest figure for the program since registering a 56.8 percent clip in an 82-78 loss to Southern Miss on February 2, 2017.

Stingy
Marshall allowed just one steal to Louisiana Tech in Saturday's loss in Ruston. That's the fewest for a Marshall opponent since Charlotte also had just one in a 71-66 victory over the Thundering Herd in the first round of the 2017 Conference USA Tournament.

20+
When Wheeler and Mayo both got to the 20-point plateau against Florida Atlantic, it marked the first time since last season's regular-season-finale romp over FIU (3/7/19) that Marshall had two players secure that achievement. In that game, Taylor Porter connected on a school-record 10 3-pointers for 30 points and Shayna Gore added 29.

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.

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.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Khadaijia Brooks

Princess Clemons

Shayna Gore

Kristen Mayo

Taylor Pearson

Taylor Porter

Ashley Saintigene

Kia Sivils

Savannah Wheeler

Marshall University Athletics