Delaware State On-Deck for Marshall Herd

GAME 10: DELAWARE STATE (3-6, 0-1 MEAC) vs. MARSHALL (4-5, 0-0 C-USA)
Saturday, Dec. 21 | Noon ET
Huntington, W.Va. | Cam Henderson Center
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Radio | Twitter | Game Notes


HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Looking to build off a 71-56 win over Wofford (Dec. 19), Marshall women’s basketball (4-5, 0-0 C-USA) will play host to Delaware State (3-6, 0-1 MEAC) at Cam Henderson Center, Saturday, at noon.

Live stats and live video will be available through the women’s basketball schedule page at HerdZone.com. The official live radio broadcast can be found online or through WMUL 88.1 FM, and live updates will be available through @HerdWBB on Twitter.

HAVE YOU HERD?
For the second consecutive game, sophomore Norrisha Victrum (Columbia, S.C.) led the Thundering Herd offensively with career-highs of 24 points, eight assists and a 12-of-14 mark from the free-throw line in a 71-56 win over Wofford, Dec. 19. Each of her marks are the most by a Herd player in coach Matt Daniel’s two seasons.

Her 24 points are the most by a Marshall player since Tynikki Crook scored 25 in a 71-67 home win over Cleveland State, Dec. 18, 2010, and her 12 free throws are the most since Sikeetha Shepard-Hall hit 15 in a February 2006 win over UAB.

Marshall’s 48 second-half points were a Herd high since the team scored 57 in the first half of a 93-55 triumph over Kent State to open the 2011-12 season. It was the high for a Herd second half since Dec. 30, 2010 when Marshall scored 49 in a 79-69 home win over Elon.

OTHER NOTABLES:
-          Junior AJ Johnson (Silver Spring, Md.) scored 18 points, a career-high, and was a perfect 6-of-6 at the charity stripe.
-          Marshall is without junior post player Chukwuka Ezeigbo (Trenton, N.J.), who has returned to Nigeria for a 17-day span to attend the funeral of her father, who died of cancer last month.

CHANGING IT UP
Coach Matt Daniel has started five different combinations over nine games, and each of the Herd’s four wins have come with different starting lineups. Only redshirt senior guard Erica Woods (St. George, Bermuda) has started every game for Marshall so far.

MAKE IT RAIN
Against WVU Tech, Dec. 9, the Herd totaled 13 treys (13-of-36), the most scored since sinking 14 versus West Virginia, Jan. 18, 1995. Freshman McKenzie Akers (Princeton, W.Va.) made a career-high four treys against the Golden Bears, going 4-of-10. She became the 15th Herd player all-time to attempt 10 threes in a single game. Marshall’s mark of 6.8 made three-pointers per game ranks second in Conference USA.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Marshall’s defensive performance has been one of the most effective in the nation so far this season. Limiting opponents to just 59.1 points per game and 36 percent from the field (as of Dec. 18), the Herd’s scoring defense ranks 55th among NCAA DI schools.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Prior to the neutral-site matchup with West Virginia, Dec. 14, the Herd hadn’t hit the road since Nov. 12, when Marshall took a trip to Robert Morris in Coraopolis, Penn. From Dec. 19 through 31, the Herd will play four home games, and Marshall will not travel again until the new year, when it makes a trip to NJIT, Jan. 5.

CAM’S ADVANTAGE
Since Cam Henderson Center opened in 1981, the Herd holds a home record of 256-153 (.626 winning percentage) in 33 seasons. In coach Matt Daniel’s two seasons, the Herd is 10-10 at ‘the Cam.’ Last season, Marshall was 3-2 at home versus non-conference opponents.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Delaware State (3-6, 0-1 MEAC) is looking to snap a three-game skid when it visits Huntington, Saturday. Three of the Hornets’ six losses have come at No. 25 Vanderbilt (Nov. 14), No. 8 Maryland (Dec. 14) and most recently, West Virginia (Dec. 18). DSU has just one road win on the season, an 80-69 victory at Manhattan, Nov. 26.

The Hornets are averaging 69.7 points on 39 percent from the field, including 23 percent from beyond the arc, while allowing opponents 84.9 points per game. Junior Tierra Hawkins contributes a team-high 23 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, but hasn’t played since Dec. 7.

Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between Marshall and Delaware State.

UP NEXT
The Herd will have a week-long holiday hiatus before hosting Navy at 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 29, at Cam Henderson Center. For all the latest information about Herd women’s basketball, follow @HerdWBB on Twitter.


COURTESY MARSHALL UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS