Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
UT Martin
Marshall Women’s Basketball Opens Hoops Classic With Win
11/21/2022 10:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Roshala Scott leads Herd with 19 points
Box Score | Coach Kemper Press Conference
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Marshall women's basketball team opened the three-day Hostilo Hoops Community Classic with a 70-57 win against UT Martin. Junior guard Roshala Scott led all scorers with 19 points from Enmarket Arena in Savannah.
Much like their home opener last week where the Herd opened a 21 point lead after the first, Marshall shot well from the start. The team shot 8-13 in the first, including three made three-point field goals. Scott, Abby Beeman, and Mahogany Matthews each made multiple field goals in the first to jump MU out to a 20-12 lead.
"That is a really good way to start the tournament down here in Savannah," Coach Tony Kemper said. "We had a really good first quarter that got us off to a good start and lead that we protected well throughout the game. Proud of our defensive effort, I think we've shown a lot of growth on the defensive end in practice over the last couple of weeks. I think you can see we've got good talented offensive players too."
Defensively, Marshall held the Skyhawks to 37 percent shooting, forcing 15 turnovers. The Herd created 17 points off turnovers, including a Matthews layup following a drawn charge to jump the Herd lead up to 16 before the half. UT Martin would trim their deficit in half to go into the break trailing, 36-28.
An even third quarter saw both teams shoot 6-13 from the field, with Coach Kemper's side leading 50-43 entering the fourth.
Free throws and stout defense down the stretch allowed Marshall to finish off UTM from Enmarket Arena. Beeman finished 7-7 from the line, making four in the final frame. The Skyhawks got to within five, but the Marshall defense held strong, holding the opponent without a field goal for the final 3:20. A Matthews steal sealed a 70-57 win for Marshall.
The Herd will now have less than 24 hours off before taking the court again in Savannah.
"It's a quick turnaround," Coach Kemper added. "We gave them [the team] a little bit of time off before we meet here tonight, we'll start to give them some simple reminders about how we're gonna be successful tomorrow. We do have a gym off-site that we're walking through things at, so we'll go through what they're going to do to us tomorrow, we've got to come out with the same fight and fire tomorrow."
UP NEXT
Marshall faces Purdue-Fort Wayne at 4:30 p.m. on the second day of the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic. The Mastodons lost 62-48 against Norfolk State Monday.
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