Reigning Conference USA Freshman of the Week Chelsey Romero recorded a career-high 16 points with her second double-double in a close battle with Navy, but a late rally did not prove to be enough as Marshall University Women’s Basketball fell to the Navy 72-68, at Cam Henderson Center.
Erica Woods who limped off the floor after contact under the Marshall Basket during the Marshall University’s victory over Wofford on December 20th, was hoping to return to the line-up, was not suited up for the game.
For the third consecutive game and fourth of the last five games, three Marshall players found double figures with Romero’s 16, AJ Johnson chipped in with 15 and Norrisha Victrum added 11. Victrum has finished in double digits in Marshall’s last four games. Romero pulled down 10 rebounds to complete her double-double.
Navy led by as many as 10 points at three different times in the first half, the latest being 23-13 at the 6:31 mark before the break. However, Marshall eclipsed the Navy lead with an 11-to-0 run from 5:49 to 2:52 to go up, 24-23.
The score would tie twice more before halftime, at 24 and at 26 apiece. After a 9-to-4 Navy run, a Victrum three-pointer with three seconds remaining put Marshall within two points, down, 35-33, at the first buzzer.
The second half opened with an 8-to-2 Navy offensive spurt, which included three-pointers from junior Chloe Stapleton and senior Kara Pollinger. Marshall couldn’t seem to find its footing for the majority of the second half, going down by as many as 12 with 3:38 to go.
Despite the deficit, Marshall was not finished. From 3:38 to 0:27 on the clock, Marshall went on an 11-to-2 scoring spree to cut the Navy lead to only three, at 71-68. In that span, senior Suporia Dickens and Romero combined for nine of the 11 points scored.
However, time was not on Marshall’s side, as Pollinger hit a free throw at 0:26, and Marshall couldn’t muster up a final offensive surge. The buzzer sounded with Navy on top, 72-68.
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