Nov. 14, 2008

Box Score

Game Book

BOONE, N.C. - Down five with 2:32 left in the game, the Thundering Herd women's basketball team, helped by five late points from Alix Barnette, came back to defeat Appalachian State, 67-65, Friday evening at the Holmes Center.

With the deficit at five points, Barnette hit a three with 2:08 remaining to cut the lead to two and with 1:11 left, Chantelle Handy connected on a lay-up to knot the game at 64. With the game still tied and 30 seconds remaining, Tynikki Crook hit one of two free throws to give Marshall (1-0) its first lead since the 8:25 mark of the first half. After ASU (0-1) missed a shot with under ten seconds remaining, Barnette drained two free throws to extend the lead to three with five seconds left.

Things did not end there, however, as Barnette fouled Frances Hernandez on a three-point attempt with .4 seconds left on the clock. Having to make three to tie the game, Hernandez missed the first one. After making the second, she purposely missed the third, but ASU was unable to get a shot away.

"It nice to get a road win, but we played badly for the first 35 minutes before playing well in the last five," Marshall head coach Royce Chadwick said. "We have a lot to work on and a lot of improvement needed, but whether you win by 75 or by one, its still a win."

The Mountaineers grabbed an early 2-0 lead as the Herd struggled to find its groove early on in the contest. A shot by Rashedah Henriques put the Herd on the board at the 17:20 mark. With the score knotted at six just over a minute later, a three-pointer by Alix Barnette started the Herd on a run that would see it come away with a 14-9 advantage.

Appalachian State took control of the half at that point, embarking on a 9-0 to grab its first lead of the game. Brittney Spencer scored seven straight for ASU before a bucket by Brittany Mixon gave the Mountaineers their first lead of the game, 15-14. They would score three more points before two Tynikki Crook free throws ended a scoring drought of nearly five minutes and brought the Herd back to within two points, 18-16.

The Mountaineers continued their hot finish to the opening half, grabbing a lead of as many as eight points, 31-23, before a late Marshall field goal cut the halftime lead to 31-25. Andrea Ibezim, in her first official game for the Thundering Herd, kept her team in the game at the end of the half, scoring the final eight Marshall points in the final 3:37. ASU's halftime advantage came on the strength of a .444 shooting percentage while holding the Herd to a .321 percentage in the opening half.

A re-energized Marshall team came out in the second half, immediately cutting into the Mountaineer lead. Tynikki Crook took the game into her own hands, scoring 12 points in the first 6:17 of the half. Her shot, followed by a made free throw made it a one point game, 40-39, with 14:11 left in the half.

The Mountaineers extended the lead back to four as Sade Means knocked down her third trey of the game, but the Herd continued to fight back, cutting the lead to two on two occasions as Alyssa Hammond connected on two straight shots.

Frances Herndandez pushed the ASU lead back to eight, 53-45, matching its largest of the game, after connecting on threes on two consecutive trips down the floor.

With the lead at seven points, 58-51, with five minutes remaining, the Herd made a run. A lay-up by Alyssa Hammond and a jumper by Alix Barnette cut the lead to three. With four minutes left, Casey Baker forced an ASU turnover and was fouled on a lay-up and hit both free throws to cut the lead to one, 58-57.

Four straight points by ASU pushed the lead back to five and just when it looked like the Herd was out, Barnette connected on her second three of the game and after an ASU turnover, Casey Baker found Chantelle Handy cutting in for a lay-up to tie the game with 1:11 remaining. Late free throws by Barnette and Crook gave the Herd a three-point lead with five seconds remaining.

After Barnette's foul gave ASU the chance to tie, Frances Hernandez missed the chance to tie the game.

Tynikki Crook led the Herd with 16 points and six rebounds. Thirteen of those points came in the second half. Barnette scored 14 while Hammond notched 13, 11 of which came in the second half. Despite scoring four points, Casey Baker had a solid game, dishing out eight assists and stealing the ball four times.

Sade Means of ASU led all scorers with 17 points. Frances Hernandez had 13. After a poor half of shooting to open the game, Marshall shot .533 in the second half to finish the night .431 from the field. Appalachian State finished with a .442 shooting percentage. The Herd had a slight advantage in rebounding, 38-34 and forced the Mountaineers into 21 turnovers.

The Herd will return to action Monday evening for its home opener, playing host to North Texas. Tipoff against the Mean Green is set for 7 p.m. at the Cam Henderson Center.