Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
13-3,4-0Sun Belt
App State
7-6,0-3Sun Belt
Marshall Women's Basketball Battles Past App State For Eighth Straight Win
1/3/2026 4:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Ni'Kiah Chesterfield scores Division I season-high 13 off the bench as defense sparks comeback
BOONE, N.C. – Marshall Women's Basketball overcame an early double-digit deficit to secure a gritty 53-48 road victory over App State Saturday. The win improves the Herd to 13-3 overall and 4-0 in league action.
"It was a defensive battle," Head Coach Juli Fulks said. "The thing about this team is we're willing to adapt to anything we need to find a way to win. I think one of our program's strengths is we're not going into a game and put our heads down and say, 'we're going to win in this way.'"
"We were tired today, it was a fast turnaround - we went into overtime (Thursday night) and so we had a lot of energy we used that night. We just kept working to find different things and if we needed to win by being great on defense we were going to win by being great on defense."
Marshall found itself in trouble early, falling behind 10-0 to open the game and trailing 21-10 midway through the second quarter. The game turned on its head as the Herd locked down defensively, holding App State to just five points in the second. Anchored by Timaya Lewis-Eutsey's six steals and a flurry of forced turnovers, Marshall chipped away at the deficit, entering halftime down 21-10.
The Herd outscored the Mountaineers by nine in the third. Olivia Olson sparked the run with a crucial three-pointer, while Ni'Kiah Chesterfield delivered a shared team-high 13 points off the bench, going 5-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 3-3 at the line. Olson matched Chesterfield with 13 points of her own.
The final quarter featured tense moments as App State cut into the Herd's advantage, but Marshall never relinquished its lead. Lewis-Eutsey made the defensive play of the game with a late steal, then delivered a dagger jumper with 14 seconds remaining to push the lead to five. Aarionna Redman added six points, four rebounds, and a crucial late offensive board.
The Herd forced 16 turnovers, recorded 10 steals, and held App State to 32.1 percent shooting—the fewest points allowed to a Sun Belt opponent this season.
Up Next
Marshall returns home on Wednesday, Jan. 7, hosting Old Dominion at Cam Henderson Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
For all the latest information about Marshall women's basketball, follow @HerdWBB on
Twitter and @herdwbb on Instagram. To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live
stats, schedules and free audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.
