Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
1-0,0-0Sun Belt
Buffalo
0-1,0-0MAC
Herd Women’s Basketball Dominates Defensively to Open Season With 53-39 Win
11/3/2025 8:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall University women's basketball team (1-0) opened its 2025-26 regular season with a commanding 53-39 victory over Buffalo on Monday night.
The Herd set the tone from the opening tip, building a 15-point lead in the first quarter and never trailing, delivering a statement of defensive grit and team depth under second-year head coach Juli Fulks.
"Well I thought we started really well," Coach Fulks said. "We were rebounding well on the offensive boards so even if we weren't hitting our first shots we were applying a lot of pressure on them with a lot of second looks."
"It looked a little bit like the first game jitters, and you would expect that," Fulks said "We didn't shoot it as well as we have in practice. But the piece that we wanted to be really good at this year was on defense and on the boards. We have spent so much time rebounding on both ends but especially defensively and that showed up today."
Olivia Olson led the way with 14 points, hitting 4-for-8 from beyond the arc and swiping three steals in 24 minutes. The freshman guard paced the Herd on both ends, providing perimeter shooting and timely defensive stops, with three steals.
Bench production was key as Ni'Kiah Chesterfield and Kassie Ingram each chipped in 11 points. Chesterfield was highly efficient, shooting 5-for-8 from the field and converting a crucial three-point play in the fourth quarter to halt Buffalo's late push. Ingram added two steals to her 11-point effort, contributing valuable two-way minutes off the bench.
Blessing King anchored the Herd's interior with a game-high 11 rebounds, helping Marshall control the glass 43-37.
The Herd capitalized on defensive pressure, forcing 26 Buffalo turnovers and translating those into 16 points. The Bulls, who entered as the reigning WNIT champions, managed only 39 points—the lowest by a Marshall DI opponent since Nov. 22, 2022.
UP NEXT
Marshall returns to action Thursday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m., hosting Northern Kentucky at the Cam Henderson Center.
