Marshall University Athletics
Friday, November 19
Huntington, W.Va.
6 PM
Marshall University
-30,00 CUSA
65
vs
58
Morehead State
0-2,0-0OVC
1
2
3
4
F
Morehead St.
7
20
14
17
58
Marshall
12
11
22
20
65
Photo by: Adam Gue
Mays and Wheeler Power Herd to Win over Morehead State
11/19/2021 10:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Guards combine for 37 of Herd’s 65 points
Game Book (PDF)
Postgame Press Conference: Head Coach Tony Kemper | CC Mays | Savannah Wheeler
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall women's basketball battled for a hard-fought 65-58 victory over the Morehead State Eagles, Friday night in the Cam Henderson Center as head coach Tony Kemper earned his 50th career win. Guards CC Mays and Savannah Wheeler combined to score 37 points.
The Thundering Herd improved to 3-0, the Herd's best start since beginning 4-0 in 2016-17. The Eagles fall to 0-2.
"It's good to win again," coach Kemper said. "We needed a way to figure out how to get it done and we got it done. A lot of credit goes to Morehead State. They had a lot of time to prepare for us and I thought that they would look different. The addition of Lauren Carter to their team completely changes their team. She is really good, and she hadn't played to this point.
"I thought (Morehead State) played really hard. They made it hard for us to get the ball where we wanted it to go. I thought our team responded really well in the second half and got some things fixed. Played much harder in the second half. And ultimately found a way to win."
Mays was 6-of-10 from the field, scored 15 points, grabbed seven boards and had two key steals including one in the closing seconds of the contest. Mays has scored in double-figures in all three games to start the season. Wheeler struggled from deep going just 1-of-6 from three, however she drew nine fouls and was 11-of-12 from the line. Wheeler finished with 22 points and led the Herd in rebounds with eight.
Junior Lorelei Roper scored seven points and pulled down seven rebounds. Graduate student Kennedi Colclough had six points and three assists. Junior Kia Sivils and sophomore Alexis Johnson had five points each. Johnson added seven boards. Senior Brianah Ferby had three points, but it came on probably the shot of the night late in the fourth quarter. Freshman Aarionna Redman had two points.
Roper, Colclough, and Johnson tallied one block each.
Senior Aaliyah Dunham was held scoreless but led Marshall with four assists.
Both teams got off to a slow start on the offensive end in the first quarter as Marshall shot 25-percent (5-of-20) from the floor and Morehead State hit just 13.3-percent (2-of-15). The Eagles held a 7-4 lead with under four minutes to go in the period. Wheeler hit a layup at the 3:39 mark, starting an 8-0 run to finish the quarter. Mays scored the next six points as the Herd led 12-7 at the end of the first.
The Herd's offensive woes continued in the second quarter, again hitting just 25-percent from the floor. On the other side, the Eagles hit 50-percent from the field in the second quarter and jumped out front. Morehead State grabbed a brief lead at 15-14 with 7:51 left in the half. One minute later, Marshall responded after a steal from Mays and then scoring the layup on the breakaway. The Herd built up to a six-point lead at 23-17 with under four minutes to go. The Eagles then put together a 10-0 run to end the half and take a four-point lead into the break, 27-23.
In the third quarter, following a quick turnover and layup by Morehead State to take a six-point lead, Marshall's offense got back on track. Five-straight points from Wheeler gave Marshall the lead, 35-33 at the seven-minute mark. The teams traded points back-and-forth until another layup from Wheeler off a great pass from Johnson, put the Herd up 41-39. Johnson and Roper both scored for Marshall in the final minute and the Herd led 45-41 at the end of the third. Wheeler scored nine points in the period and was 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Marshall outscored the Eagles 22-14 in the third.
The fourth quarter was another battle between the two regional rivals. The Herd rolled out a 10-0 run to go up by 11 (57-46), halfway through the quarter. A three-pointer from Terri Smith finally ended the run and sparked Morehead State's offense. A layup from Roper gave Marshall an eight-point lead, 59-51, before the Eagles caught fire with a 7-0 run, including hitting back-to-back three-pointers from Smith. The Herd now led by one, 59-58.
Morehead State was working a full-court press, and Wheeler was able to break through. After passing mid-court and coming near the top of the key, Wheeler found Ferby wide open in the near corner. Ferby launched a three before an Eagle defender could close and drained it with 1:19 remaining in the game. The shot regained the momentum for Marshall as Morehead State called timeout.
"Bri Ferby is really good," coach Kemper said. "She showed me that in practice over time. She hasn't started the year how she is capable of, but what a huge shot she hit to get us back. I don't think we win that game without her. And I know that she has been bothered by some of the layups and stuff, but she is really tough. She taught me that back in July when she first got here. I have been telling everyone that will listen, and she showed that tonight.
"There was no fear to shoot that ball."
The Herd struggled from distance hitting just 2-of-21 in the ball game. However, Marshall still picked up the shot when it was needed most on the shot from Ferby, the senior transfer from Austin Peay.
Following the timeout, the Eagles missed two free throws and a three before Wheeler sank two more free throws to give the Herd a six-point advantage. Another missed layup from Morehead State led to Johnson getting fouled on the rebound, and a chance at the line where she hit 1-of-2 with 13 seconds remaining and Marshall up by seven.
A last-ditch effort from the Eagles to try and score some quick points was cutoff by Mays as she tied up Lauren Carter, resulting in a jump ball and giving possession back to the Herd with seven seconds left. Wheeler dribble out the clock as Marshall earned the win. The Herd was 7-of-9 from the free throw line in the fourth while Morehead State hit just 2-of-6. The Eagles finished the game 5-of-13 from the line. Marshall was 17-of-21 from the charity stripe.
The Herd hits the road for its next two contests. First is a trip to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on Purdue on Monday, Nov. 22 with tipoff at 7 p.m. Then Marshall travels up to East Lansing, Mich., for a date against Michigan State on Sunday, Nov. 28. The Herd's next home games are Nov. 30 against Wright State and then Dec. 4 versus Coppin State.
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!
Postgame Press Conference: Head Coach Tony Kemper | CC Mays | Savannah Wheeler
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall women's basketball battled for a hard-fought 65-58 victory over the Morehead State Eagles, Friday night in the Cam Henderson Center as head coach Tony Kemper earned his 50th career win. Guards CC Mays and Savannah Wheeler combined to score 37 points.
The Thundering Herd improved to 3-0, the Herd's best start since beginning 4-0 in 2016-17. The Eagles fall to 0-2.
"It's good to win again," coach Kemper said. "We needed a way to figure out how to get it done and we got it done. A lot of credit goes to Morehead State. They had a lot of time to prepare for us and I thought that they would look different. The addition of Lauren Carter to their team completely changes their team. She is really good, and she hadn't played to this point.
"I thought (Morehead State) played really hard. They made it hard for us to get the ball where we wanted it to go. I thought our team responded really well in the second half and got some things fixed. Played much harder in the second half. And ultimately found a way to win."
Mays was 6-of-10 from the field, scored 15 points, grabbed seven boards and had two key steals including one in the closing seconds of the contest. Mays has scored in double-figures in all three games to start the season. Wheeler struggled from deep going just 1-of-6 from three, however she drew nine fouls and was 11-of-12 from the line. Wheeler finished with 22 points and led the Herd in rebounds with eight.
Junior Lorelei Roper scored seven points and pulled down seven rebounds. Graduate student Kennedi Colclough had six points and three assists. Junior Kia Sivils and sophomore Alexis Johnson had five points each. Johnson added seven boards. Senior Brianah Ferby had three points, but it came on probably the shot of the night late in the fourth quarter. Freshman Aarionna Redman had two points.
Roper, Colclough, and Johnson tallied one block each.
Senior Aaliyah Dunham was held scoreless but led Marshall with four assists.
Both teams got off to a slow start on the offensive end in the first quarter as Marshall shot 25-percent (5-of-20) from the floor and Morehead State hit just 13.3-percent (2-of-15). The Eagles held a 7-4 lead with under four minutes to go in the period. Wheeler hit a layup at the 3:39 mark, starting an 8-0 run to finish the quarter. Mays scored the next six points as the Herd led 12-7 at the end of the first.
The Herd's offensive woes continued in the second quarter, again hitting just 25-percent from the floor. On the other side, the Eagles hit 50-percent from the field in the second quarter and jumped out front. Morehead State grabbed a brief lead at 15-14 with 7:51 left in the half. One minute later, Marshall responded after a steal from Mays and then scoring the layup on the breakaway. The Herd built up to a six-point lead at 23-17 with under four minutes to go. The Eagles then put together a 10-0 run to end the half and take a four-point lead into the break, 27-23.
In the third quarter, following a quick turnover and layup by Morehead State to take a six-point lead, Marshall's offense got back on track. Five-straight points from Wheeler gave Marshall the lead, 35-33 at the seven-minute mark. The teams traded points back-and-forth until another layup from Wheeler off a great pass from Johnson, put the Herd up 41-39. Johnson and Roper both scored for Marshall in the final minute and the Herd led 45-41 at the end of the third. Wheeler scored nine points in the period and was 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Marshall outscored the Eagles 22-14 in the third.
The fourth quarter was another battle between the two regional rivals. The Herd rolled out a 10-0 run to go up by 11 (57-46), halfway through the quarter. A three-pointer from Terri Smith finally ended the run and sparked Morehead State's offense. A layup from Roper gave Marshall an eight-point lead, 59-51, before the Eagles caught fire with a 7-0 run, including hitting back-to-back three-pointers from Smith. The Herd now led by one, 59-58.
Morehead State was working a full-court press, and Wheeler was able to break through. After passing mid-court and coming near the top of the key, Wheeler found Ferby wide open in the near corner. Ferby launched a three before an Eagle defender could close and drained it with 1:19 remaining in the game. The shot regained the momentum for Marshall as Morehead State called timeout.
"Bri Ferby is really good," coach Kemper said. "She showed me that in practice over time. She hasn't started the year how she is capable of, but what a huge shot she hit to get us back. I don't think we win that game without her. And I know that she has been bothered by some of the layups and stuff, but she is really tough. She taught me that back in July when she first got here. I have been telling everyone that will listen, and she showed that tonight.
"There was no fear to shoot that ball."
The Herd struggled from distance hitting just 2-of-21 in the ball game. However, Marshall still picked up the shot when it was needed most on the shot from Ferby, the senior transfer from Austin Peay.
Following the timeout, the Eagles missed two free throws and a three before Wheeler sank two more free throws to give the Herd a six-point advantage. Another missed layup from Morehead State led to Johnson getting fouled on the rebound, and a chance at the line where she hit 1-of-2 with 13 seconds remaining and Marshall up by seven.
A last-ditch effort from the Eagles to try and score some quick points was cutoff by Mays as she tied up Lauren Carter, resulting in a jump ball and giving possession back to the Herd with seven seconds left. Wheeler dribble out the clock as Marshall earned the win. The Herd was 7-of-9 from the free throw line in the fourth while Morehead State hit just 2-of-6. The Eagles finished the game 5-of-13 from the line. Marshall was 17-of-21 from the charity stripe.
The Herd hits the road for its next two contests. First is a trip to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on Purdue on Monday, Nov. 22 with tipoff at 7 p.m. Then Marshall travels up to East Lansing, Mich., for a date against Michigan State on Sunday, Nov. 28. The Herd's next home games are Nov. 30 against Wright State and then Dec. 4 versus Coppin State.
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!
---HerdZone.com---
Team Stats
More
Marsh
FG%
.383
.354
3FG%
.333
.095
FT%
.385
.810
RB
39
47
TO
15
11
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
11
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F/G
/ Women's BasketballF/C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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