Marshall University Athletics
Saturday, January 22
Huntington, W.Va.
1 PM
Marshall University
57
vs
44
Florida Atlantic
Photo by: Rick Haye
Dominant Overtime Leads Herd to Win Over Owls
1/22/2022 5:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Marshall outscored FAU 13-0 in overtime
Game Book (PDF)
Wheeler/Kemper Press Conference
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall women's basketball team outscored the Florida Atlantic Owls 13-0 in overtime to lead to a 57-44 victory, Saturday afternoon in the Cam Henderson Center. Sophomore Savannah Wheeler led all scorers with 18 points.
The Thundering Herd improved to 11-5 overall and 6-1 in league play. It is Marshall's best start in Conference USA through the first seven league games. The Owls fall to 4-13 overall and 0-6 in C-USA.
"What a day, what a win," said Marshall head coach Tony Kemper. "We did not play good on offense. I thought we moved the ball pretty well, we just finished with a miss at the end (of the possessions) for most of the day. We went over our stats at halftime, and they were bad. I'm not sure they got any better through the second half until we got to overtime.
"Today was a life lesson, to stay steady through that storm. We had another great crowd and we wanted to play well ... it just never really clicked for us on the offensive end until overtime. We played extremely hard all day and we were very sound in what we were trying to do against FAU. Bri Ferby hit a big shot (in overtime) and we were solid down the stretch. I'm really proud of our team."
Marshall's defense has not allowed an opponent to score 60 points in nine of its last 10 games. The shutout in overtime was the first in team history going back through the 2002-03 season. Saturday was the Herd's first overtime game since a 73-68 win over Old Dominion on Feb. 6, 2021.
Wheeler scored in double-figures for the 19th-straight game, the 55th time in her career, and now has 1,046 career points. She moved ahead of Marshall Athletics Hall of Famer Robin Vealey (1972-76) and is now 20th all-time in program history. Wheeler is eight points away from surpassing another hall of famer in Lee Ann Parsley (1986-90).
Graduate student Kennedi Colclough put up 15 points and senior Brianah Ferby scored 11. Freshman CC Mays had seven points and senior Aaliyah Dunham rounded out the scoring with six points. Dunham handed out six assists and had just one turnover. She came into the game leading the conference and ranked 15th in the country in assist/turnover ratio. Saturday was Dunham's eighth game this season with five or more assists. She has 440 assists overall in her collegiate career and 69 this season, an average of 4.3 per game.
The Herd received a resounding team effort on the glass. After being outrebounded 11-7 in the first quarter, including a possession where the Owls grabbed three offensive boards, Marshall finished the day with a 49-39 advantage in rebounds. The 49 boards were a season-high and the most for the Herd since grabbing 49 at Middle Tennessee this past season (March 5).
Colclough, Roper and Mays tied for the team lead with eight each. The eight boards were a season-high for both Colclough and Mays. Roper continued her string of at least six rebounds in now 11-straight games. The Charlotte native is averaging 7.9 boards per game in league play.
Wheeler added six rebounds and Dunham tied her season-high with six as well. Sophomore Alexis Johnson grabbed three rebounds and had one steal. Freshman Aarionna Redman had two boards and two assists.
Both teams struggled offensively throughout much of the day, trading baskets and leads. There were 11 ties and 10 lead changes throughout the contest. The Herd hit three three-pointers in the first quarter but shot 3-of-11 (27.3-percent) from the field. Florida Atlantic was 5-of-15 (33.3-percent) from the floor and led 12-9 at the end of the first.
In the second quarter, the Herd scored the first five points, all on free throws. The Owls did not score a point in the second until Rita Pleskevich hit a jumper in the paint with 1:48 till halftime to tie the score at 14-14. With 1:21 on the clock, Mays sank two free throws to give Marshall a two-point lead. Pleskevich hit another jump-shot to tie the game at 16-16 with 34 seconds left. Mays missed a shot with four seconds left and Roper grabbed the rebound. She then quickly found Dunham on the outside who hit a three at the buzzer to give Marshall a 19-16 lead at the half. The teams combined to shoot 3-of-28 from the field. The Herd was 7-of-12 from the line in the second.
Offensively, the third quarter was better for both teams. Marshall shot 42.9-percent (6-of-14) from the field and hit its first two-point basket of the game on a jumper from Ferby at the 8:07 mark. In the first half, the Herd hit four three-pointers and seven free throws. The Owls shot just 28.6-percent (4-of-14) from the floor but did sink three three-pointers and were 5-of-6 from the line. The Herd led by four with 5:05 to go in the period after Wheeler converted a fast-break layup, drew the foul, and hit the free throw. FAU managed to get the deficit to two points, 34-32, at the end of the third.
The fourth quarter was another back-and-forth fight with three lead changes coming in the final minutes. Marshall led 38-36 before Sofia Galeron hit a three to give the Owls a one-point lead. With 1:49 to go, Ferby drove into the paint and got a jump shot to fall through while also being fouled. She hit the free throw to put the Herd back out in front by two, 41-39.
Janeta Rozentale hit a three with 54 seconds remaining, giving Florida Atlantic another one-point lead at 42-41. On the next possession coming out of a timeout, Dunham found Colclough down low for a layup that put Marshall back up by one, 43-42. The Owls responded as Rozentale scored with 23 seconds to go and the Herd found itself back down by one. With the clock under ten seconds, Dunham drove to the rim and was fouled. She hit one of the free throws to tie the game at 44-44 with seven seconds left. FAU tried one last three but couldn't get it to fall. The teams headed for overtime.
Marshall turned up the defensive pressure another notch in the extra period as the Owls were 0-for-8 from the floor and 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. The Herd outrebounded Florida Atlantic 8-3, with seven defensive boards, cutting off second chance opportunities. The Owls had three turnovers while Marshall committed zero in overtime. Wheeler and Ferby scored four points each. Ferby started the scoring in OT with a three on the Herd's first possession. Marshall shot 3-of-4 from the floor and hit six free throws as well on the way to the win.
The Thundering Herd hits the road for its next two games. Marshall travels to Middle Tennessee on Jan. 27, and then heads to UAB on Jan. 29. The Herd returns to the Cam Henderson Center on Feb. 3 against Old Dominion.
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!
Wheeler/Kemper Press Conference
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall women's basketball team outscored the Florida Atlantic Owls 13-0 in overtime to lead to a 57-44 victory, Saturday afternoon in the Cam Henderson Center. Sophomore Savannah Wheeler led all scorers with 18 points.
The Thundering Herd improved to 11-5 overall and 6-1 in league play. It is Marshall's best start in Conference USA through the first seven league games. The Owls fall to 4-13 overall and 0-6 in C-USA.
"What a day, what a win," said Marshall head coach Tony Kemper. "We did not play good on offense. I thought we moved the ball pretty well, we just finished with a miss at the end (of the possessions) for most of the day. We went over our stats at halftime, and they were bad. I'm not sure they got any better through the second half until we got to overtime.
"Today was a life lesson, to stay steady through that storm. We had another great crowd and we wanted to play well ... it just never really clicked for us on the offensive end until overtime. We played extremely hard all day and we were very sound in what we were trying to do against FAU. Bri Ferby hit a big shot (in overtime) and we were solid down the stretch. I'm really proud of our team."
Marshall's defense has not allowed an opponent to score 60 points in nine of its last 10 games. The shutout in overtime was the first in team history going back through the 2002-03 season. Saturday was the Herd's first overtime game since a 73-68 win over Old Dominion on Feb. 6, 2021.
Wheeler scored in double-figures for the 19th-straight game, the 55th time in her career, and now has 1,046 career points. She moved ahead of Marshall Athletics Hall of Famer Robin Vealey (1972-76) and is now 20th all-time in program history. Wheeler is eight points away from surpassing another hall of famer in Lee Ann Parsley (1986-90).
Graduate student Kennedi Colclough put up 15 points and senior Brianah Ferby scored 11. Freshman CC Mays had seven points and senior Aaliyah Dunham rounded out the scoring with six points. Dunham handed out six assists and had just one turnover. She came into the game leading the conference and ranked 15th in the country in assist/turnover ratio. Saturday was Dunham's eighth game this season with five or more assists. She has 440 assists overall in her collegiate career and 69 this season, an average of 4.3 per game.
The Herd received a resounding team effort on the glass. After being outrebounded 11-7 in the first quarter, including a possession where the Owls grabbed three offensive boards, Marshall finished the day with a 49-39 advantage in rebounds. The 49 boards were a season-high and the most for the Herd since grabbing 49 at Middle Tennessee this past season (March 5).
Colclough, Roper and Mays tied for the team lead with eight each. The eight boards were a season-high for both Colclough and Mays. Roper continued her string of at least six rebounds in now 11-straight games. The Charlotte native is averaging 7.9 boards per game in league play.
Wheeler added six rebounds and Dunham tied her season-high with six as well. Sophomore Alexis Johnson grabbed three rebounds and had one steal. Freshman Aarionna Redman had two boards and two assists.
Both teams struggled offensively throughout much of the day, trading baskets and leads. There were 11 ties and 10 lead changes throughout the contest. The Herd hit three three-pointers in the first quarter but shot 3-of-11 (27.3-percent) from the field. Florida Atlantic was 5-of-15 (33.3-percent) from the floor and led 12-9 at the end of the first.
In the second quarter, the Herd scored the first five points, all on free throws. The Owls did not score a point in the second until Rita Pleskevich hit a jumper in the paint with 1:48 till halftime to tie the score at 14-14. With 1:21 on the clock, Mays sank two free throws to give Marshall a two-point lead. Pleskevich hit another jump-shot to tie the game at 16-16 with 34 seconds left. Mays missed a shot with four seconds left and Roper grabbed the rebound. She then quickly found Dunham on the outside who hit a three at the buzzer to give Marshall a 19-16 lead at the half. The teams combined to shoot 3-of-28 from the field. The Herd was 7-of-12 from the line in the second.
Offensively, the third quarter was better for both teams. Marshall shot 42.9-percent (6-of-14) from the field and hit its first two-point basket of the game on a jumper from Ferby at the 8:07 mark. In the first half, the Herd hit four three-pointers and seven free throws. The Owls shot just 28.6-percent (4-of-14) from the floor but did sink three three-pointers and were 5-of-6 from the line. The Herd led by four with 5:05 to go in the period after Wheeler converted a fast-break layup, drew the foul, and hit the free throw. FAU managed to get the deficit to two points, 34-32, at the end of the third.
The fourth quarter was another back-and-forth fight with three lead changes coming in the final minutes. Marshall led 38-36 before Sofia Galeron hit a three to give the Owls a one-point lead. With 1:49 to go, Ferby drove into the paint and got a jump shot to fall through while also being fouled. She hit the free throw to put the Herd back out in front by two, 41-39.
Janeta Rozentale hit a three with 54 seconds remaining, giving Florida Atlantic another one-point lead at 42-41. On the next possession coming out of a timeout, Dunham found Colclough down low for a layup that put Marshall back up by one, 43-42. The Owls responded as Rozentale scored with 23 seconds to go and the Herd found itself back down by one. With the clock under ten seconds, Dunham drove to the rim and was fouled. She hit one of the free throws to tie the game at 44-44 with seven seconds left. FAU tried one last three but couldn't get it to fall. The teams headed for overtime.
Marshall turned up the defensive pressure another notch in the extra period as the Owls were 0-for-8 from the floor and 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. The Herd outrebounded Florida Atlantic 8-3, with seven defensive boards, cutting off second chance opportunities. The Owls had three turnovers while Marshall committed zero in overtime. Wheeler and Ferby scored four points each. Ferby started the scoring in OT with a three on the Herd's first possession. Marshall shot 3-of-4 from the floor and hit six free throws as well on the way to the win.
The Thundering Herd hits the road for its next two games. Marshall travels to Middle Tennessee on Jan. 27, and then heads to UAB on Jan. 29. The Herd returns to the Cam Henderson Center on Feb. 3 against Old Dominion.
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---
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