Marshall Opens Conference USA Tournament Against Southern Miss

FRISCO, Tx. – The eighth-seeded Marshall women's basketball team (12-17 overall) will face ninth-seeded Southern Miss (15-14) Wednesday in first-round action at the Conference USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas. Tip time at The Star will be 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT.

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Game Notes
Series History: 26th all-time meeting – USM leads 16-9
Last Meeting: February 6, 2020 in Hattiesburg, Ms. – Marshall won 80-65

Scouting the Golden Eagles
Southern Miss dropped a 90-46 decision to UAB Saturday afternoon in Birmingham. Despite the setback, the Golden Eagles went 4-3 down the stretch after dropping seven straight games before that stretch. USM gets 15.5 points per game from Shonte Hailes, but she has missed time this season due to injury. Respect Leaphart leads the way in rebounding (6.1), while Daishai Almond (4.0) is tops in assists.

Southern Miss was picked eighth in the league's preseason poll and that's the spot it shared with the Thundering Herd at 7-11. Marshall was picked 11th.

The Golden Eagles ranked second in the league in steals (9.7), but last in 3-pointers per game (3.7).

Marshall won the first game between the two schools by an 80-65 count on February 6 inside Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg. In that game, junior forward Taylor Pearson had a (then-) career-high 21 points on six 3-pointers.

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 Leaphart contributed 16 points and Kelsey Jones added 10. Mayze and Almond led the home team with four assists and Amber Landing notched four blocks.

Last Time Out: March 7 at Florida Atlantic (L, 68-50)
Crystal Primm had a masterful performance for Florida Atlantic on her Senior Day as the Owls downed visiting Marshall 68-50 Saturday afternoon in FAU Arena.

The Owls improved to 13-16 overall and 7-11 in Conference USA, while the Thundering Herd fell to 13-16 and 7-11 in the league.

Primm finished with 15 points, 18 rebounds and six assists to lead FAU and Alexa Zaph added 14 points and four 3-pointers off the bench. Juliette Gauthier also contributed a game-high four steals.

Marshall was led by Savannah Wheeler as she battled foul trouble to finish strong with 14 points and four assists on 5-for-9 shooting, including 3-for-5 from long range. Taylor Pearson also had 13 points and seven rebounds, a mark that was equaled by Lorelei Roper.

The Owls got off to a fast start, leading 24-13 after one quarter on the strength of six 3-pointers. The home team led by 12 (39-27) at the half.

FAU got up by as many as 25 twice in the second half, the last on a Nikola Ozola 3-pointer with 2:21 left. Marshall closed the game on a 9-2 run for the game's final margin.

The Thundering Herd was plagued by a season-high 23 turnovers, which the Owls turned into 21 points. FAU was also up 22-12 on points in the paint, 12-5 on second chance points and 23-14 on bench points.

"Their defense is really good and we had a hard time getting much traction," said head coach Tony Kemper. "I didn't think we did a very good job of getting back and getting matched up in the first quarter. We didn't get that done and left players open. It was a disappointing day, but I thought Crystal Primm was a cut above and difference-maker for them."

Marshall in the C-USA Tournament
The Thundering Herd is 8-13 all-time in the Conference USA Tournament since entering the league for the 2005-06 season. Marshall has met Southern Miss twice and has lost both games. The Golden Eagles won 60-58 during the 2006 quarterfinals and 64-56 in the 2009 semifinals. The will be just the Herd's second appearance as the bracket's eight seed. The first came in 2007 when it fell to ninth-seeded Houston 71-68 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Marshall is also 4-3 in its history as a C-USA Tourney participant.

17 Again
The Herd won seven conference games this season after winning 10 a season ago. That's the third time the program has won that many in a two-year span as members of Conference USA (9 in 2005-06 and 8 in 2006-07; 8 in 2014-15 and 9 in 2015-16).

Stolen!
Marshall has had more steals than the opposition in nine of its last 12 games. Individually, Princess Clemons has averaged 1.5 per game in league play, which is tied for 11th 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 en route to being named just Marshall's fourth C-USA All-Freshman Team honoree, following Alyssa Hammond (2007), Shay Weaver (2012) and Ashley Saintigene (2017).

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 9-2 this season when reaching the 66-point mark. The two losses were an 82-69 setback to Bowling Green on December 7 and a 77-69 defeat by North Texas on February 29.

Making Them Count
Marshall has had a higher free throw percentage than the opposition in its 16 of its last 17 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 17 games, the Herd has connected on 73.7 percent (230-for-312) compared to 57.4 percent (189-for-329) 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 third in C-USA games at 73.3 percent (232-for-313).

Pearson's Resurgence
Marshall's Taylor Pearson has averaged 13.9 points over her last 15 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 (39.8 percent).

Season/Career-Highs
Lorelei Roper tied a career-high with 28 minutes and Khadaijia Brooks tied a season-high with 11 rebounds in the 59-57 overtime victory at FIU on March 5.

Wheeler Attacks
Since entering the starting lineup at North Texas on January 4, Savannah Wheeler has gotten to the free throw line 103 times in those last 17 games (6.1 per game), making 86 for 83.5 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 throw percentage (51st, 83.0) and free throws made (60th, 117).

Leading and Leading Late
Marshall is 12-1 this season when leading at the half and 11-1 when leading with five minutes left in regulation. Since the beginning of last season, the Thundering Herd is 25-6 when leading at the break and 25-3 when leading at the five-minute mark.

Hitting the Glass, Controlling the Paint
The Thundering Herd is 15-5 since the start of last season when it outrebounds the opposition and 18-6 when it scores more in the paint.

Block Party
Senior Ashley Saintigene returned to the Herd lineup with a vengeance this season on the defensive side. The senior has swatted 46 shots in 18 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 127 and her 46 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. 46 - 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. 127 - 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. 77 - 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 (49.8, 160-321), 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 (83.0, 117-141), 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 (76.5, 127-166), 2017-Present

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

42nd in 3-point field goals per game - 7.8
50th in field goal percentage defense - 37.0%
54th in 3-point field goals made - 226
59th in fewest turnovers - 415
69th in blocks per game - 4.1
78th in total blocks - 118
79th in fewest turnovers per game - 14.3
Savannah Wheeler is 51st in free throw percentage (83.0)
Savannah Wheeler is 60th in free throws made (117)
Ashley Saintigene is 82nd in total blocks (46)
Savannah Wheeler is 100th in free throw attempts (141)

Notable Active Herd Streaks: (last game without stat in parentheses)
Taylor Pearson 62-straight games with a rebound (2/17/18 at WKU)
Taylor Pearson 51-straight games with a point (12/4/18 at Wisconsin)
Kristen Mayo 50-straight games with a point (12/18/18 at Clemson)
Khadaijia Brooks 44-straight starts (1/17/19 at FAU)

Rebounding
Marshall grabbed 46 rebounds in its 59-57 overtime win at FIU on March 5. The last time the program had a higher total in a ROAD conference game was more than eight years ago with 59 in a 65-49 Marshall victory at Houston on January 5, 2012.

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.

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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Marshall Opens Conference USA Tournament Against Southern Miss

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Players Mentioned

Khadaijia Brooks

Princess Clemons

Shayna Gore

Kristen Mayo

Taylor Pearson

Taylor Porter

Lorelei Roper

Ashley Saintigene

Savannah Wheeler

Marshall University Athletics