Rare Ruston Road Trip Ahead for Marshall Women

RUSTON, La. – The Marshall women's basketball team (9-12 overall, 4-6 Conference USA) will head to Louisiana Tech (10-11, 2-8) on Saturday. This will be the Thundering Herd's first trip to Ruston since March 3, 2016 when it won 54-52 on a Norrisha Victrum floater with two seconds remaining. Tip time Saturday at the Thomas Assembly Center is 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT.

Game Details
Live Stats
Live Video
Marshall Radio (with Jason Corriher)
Game Notes
Series History: Seventh all-time meeting – Series tied 3-3
Last Meeting: January 24, 2019 in Huntington – Marshall won 90-88 in triple overtime.

Scouting the Lady Techsters
Louisiana Tech comes into Saturday's game in the midst of a four-game losing streak following an 84-75 home defeat at the hands of WKU on Thursday. The Lady Techsters get double-figure scoring from Keiunna Walker (12.3) and Amber Dixon (11.6) and Anna Larr Roberson (5.1) leads the way on the glass. Raizel Guinto (3.0) is tops in assists and Lotte Sant (39.4-fourth in C-USA) is Tech's top perimeter threat.

Louisiana Tech was picked ninth in the league's preseason poll, while Marshall was tabbed 11th.

The Lady Techsters are second in the league in 3-point percentage (32.7), but last in C-USA in rebounding offense (35.1).

Last Time Out: Feb. 6 at Southern Miss (W, 80-65)
Junior forward Taylor Pearson had career-highs with 21 points and six 3-pointers to lead the Marshall women's basketball team in an 80-65 win over host Southern Miss on Thursday.

The Thundering Herd improved to 9-12 overall and 4-6 in Conference USA with the victory, while the Lady Eagles dropped to 11-10 and 3-7 in the league.

Pearson led four players in double figures as Princess Clemons had 14 points, while Savannah Wheeler and Kristen Mayo tallied 12 each. Wheeler shot just 1-for-9 from the field but made 10 of 13 from the free throw line and all of Mayo's points came in the fourth quarter. Clemons had a team-high eight rebounds to go with five assists apiece for Sivils and Wheeler. Khadaijia Brooks also recorded four steals.

Southern Miss was led by Alarie Mayze's 19 points and Respect Leaphart contributed 16 points and Kelsey Jones added 10. Mayze and Daishai Almond led the home team with four assists and Amber Landing notched four blocks.

The Thundering Herd raced out to a 21-8 lead after one quarter of play and was ahead 44-32 at the break. The Lady Eagles closed to within three (53-50) on an Almond jumper in the early stages of the fourth quarter, but Mayo made a layup and a triple 40 seconds apart to stave off the comeback. The Herd also made 73 percent from the field and scored 27 points in the final quarter to salt away the victory.

Southern Miss had a 40-24 edge on points in the paint, but the Herd held a 24-12 advantage on points off turnovers.

"It's great to see us play well on the offensive end in back-to-back games," said Marshall head coach Tony Kemper. "A big part of that success came on good ball movement (11 first-half assists). Taylor Pearson is also shooting the ball consistently well, especially from the perimeter."

Princess Pours in the Points
Princess Clemons has averaged 10.5 points since entering the starting lineup for Marshall's last four games, a clip that is up from 3.3 in her first 17 games this season.

Making Them Count
Marshall has had a higher free throw percentage than the opposition in its last nine 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 nine games, the Herd has connected on 73.0 percent (135-for-185) compared to 58.3 percent (105-for-180) for its opponents.

Pearson's Resurgence
Marshall's Taylor Pearson has averaged 15.6 points over her last seven games. That figure is up from her 4.7 per game clip over the previous six games.

Season/Career-Highs
In the 80-65 win over Southern Miss, Pearson set new career-highs in points (21), field goals (seven) and 3-pointers (six). Kia Sivils also tied a career-high with five assists and Lorelei Roper set a new career-best with two steals. Savannah Wheeler also made a career-high 10 free throws.

Wheeler Attacks
Since entering the starting lineup at North Texas on January 4, Savannah Wheeler has gotten to the free throw line 67 times in those last nine games (7.4 per game), making 57 for 85 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 9-1 this season when leading at the half and 8-1 when leading with five minutes left in regulation. Since the beginning of last season, the Thundering Herd is 22-6 when leading at the break and 22-3 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 15th in the NCAA in blocks per game (2.81). As a team, Marshall is 34th 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. Karen Pelphrey (78.4, 396-505), 1982-86
8. Kristen Mayo (78.3, 108-138), 2017-Pres.
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.

34th in blocks per game - 4.7
43rd in field goal percentage defense - 36.5%
43rd in 3-point field goals per game - 7.8
47th in total blocks - 98
54th in fewest turnovers - 301 (leads C-USA)
56th in 3-point field goals made - 164
72nd in fewest turnovers per game - 14.3
86th in rebounds per game - 40.0
Ashley Saintigene is 15th in blocks per game (2.81)
Ashley Saintigene is 30th in total blocks (45)
Savannah Wheeler is 46th in free throws made (88)
Savannah Wheeler is 49th in free throw percentage (83.8)

Notable Active Herd Streaks: (last game without stat in parentheses)
Taylor Pearson 54-straight games with a rebound (2/17/18 at WKU)
Khadaijia Brooks 45-straight games with a point (12/4/18 at Wisconsin)
Taylor Pearson 43-straight games with a point (12/4/18 at Wisconsin)
Kristen Mayo 42-straight games with a point (12/18/18 at Clemson)
Khadaijia Brooks 36-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 has scored 284 points for the season, averaging 13.5 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 30.6 minutes per contest.

20+
When Wheeler and Mayo both got to the 20-point plateau Saturday, 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.

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 returns to Huntington for home games on Thursday against UTSA (6 p.m.) and Saturday versus UTEP (1 p.m.).

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

Lorelei Roper

Ashley Saintigene

Kia Sivils

Savannah Wheeler

Marshall University Athletics