— By David Walsh
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — In the first game on its home floor this month, the Marshall women appeared quite comfortable, racing to a 19-point lead over Georgia State by halftime.
In the third quarter and parts of the fourth, the Thundering Herd attack stalled a bit with turnovers, missed shots and the visiting Panthers went on scoring runs instead of droughts. Marshall saw a one-time lead of 21 points dwindle to eight.
Up stepped Meredith Maier to get the Herd back on track and force the Panthers to experience scoring droughts again. The senior drained a three-pointer with 4:32 left to make it 65-54 and added a four-point play to make it a 15-point margin on the way to Marshall’s 71-56 victory at Cam Henderson Center.
“There were times it wasn’t really pretty, but we tried to do some different things in terms of lineups,” Marshall head coach Juli Fulks said. “I thought we played really well in the first half, and then it got really physical and there were things I wish we did a little better. But, overall we got some stops when we needed it, we rebounded the ball unbelievably well in the first half, so that was really good. Once it got tight, Meredith hit a couple big threes which kind of helped stretch it out which was good. Overall I thought it was a decent effort and we needed to get that game.”
Timaya Lewis-Eutsey led Marshall (21-6, 11-3 Sun Belt) with 19 points. Maier finished with 18 and Peyton Ilderton scored 15 on five three-pointers.
“It never feels comfortable when it goes from 20 to eight,” Fulks said. “We had a couple of turnovers in that run. And there were a couple of plays at the rim. I thought we got good looks. One of the things that’s true in college basketball is if you miss a layup, most often you get beat at the other end of the court. We had a couple of those. At that point, you’ve got to be able to get a stop and you’ve got to be able to go score.”
The Panthers (9-16, 4-9 SBC) made just one of their final eight shots and turned the ball over four times.
“Coming out of the half we knew how physical they were going to take it,” Eutsey-Lewis said. “One of the things Meredith said is be ready for their physicality and move the ball. And then we were able to find her. When it got close just don’t make anything easy.”
Being strong mentally in trying times has become a positive for the Herd.
“With the whole team this year we’ve been mentally strong. I think we kind of lacked that last year,” Maier said. “When we get in those close moments, we know how to handle them. We were able to stay composed. Although we did turn it over a couple of times, we knew we were able to get the ball back in our hands and make a decision with it. It could’ve been a different story, but we all stayed composed and knew how to finish the game.”
The Herd is back in action Saturday at home against Arkansas State, which shares first place in the standings with Troy and Georgia
Southern. Those three are each 11-2 in the SBC. Game time is 1 p.m.
Fulks and her team can now focus on Arkansas State. The Herd also has two games with Georgia Southern later in the month.
“The atmosphere is going to be super,” Fulks said. “When you look at the rest of the schedule, we’ve got Arkansas State and Georgia Southern twice. Big games ahead of us. I’ve been thinking of our worst case and those are the teams we’re going to be playing (SBC Tournament next month in Pensacola, Fla.). We have a good idea of the plan. We have to figure out what’s working and keep extending it. One thing is [Lewis-Eutsey and Maier] and Peyton are going to have to stay together. When you play Arkansas State, they’re going to make some runs. You have to have the ability to stay together. Sometimes the best lesson is we’ll turn around to each other and say, ‘we’ve got this.’ ”
Maier was just happy to be home. Last week, the Herd played against South Alabama in Mobile and then traveled to Mount Pleasant, Mich. for a Saturday date against Central Michigan in the SBC-MAC Challenge.
“Refreshing for sure playing in this environment,” Maier said. “No long bus trip. This crowd is second to none. We put on a show to get the win. I love playing in this environment. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I’m glad we’re not packing up to go. No more laundry for a week.”
Maier made five of her seven attempts from three. She has now scored at least a dozen points in eight straight games. Ilderton’s five threes matched a season high. The Herd won the rebound battle, 44-34, with 14 on the offensive end.
The win ties Marshall for the third-most victories in a single-season in program history.
Grace Lanier led Georgia State with 16 points. Cheyenne Holloman added 15 and Eghosa Obasuyi scored 12.