A career-high performance of five three-pointers by junior AJ Johnson would not prove to be enough to salvage a Conference USA showdown with UAB, as Erica Woods and her Marshall University Women’s Basketball teammates fell, 63-57, at Cam Henderson Center.
Woods played 16 minutes of action coming off the bench, she went 3 for 4 from the Field and 2 for 2 from the Free Throw Line for her 8 points in the game. Woods grabbed 2 Offensive Rebounds, to go along with 1 Steal.
“I told the team before this game that the team who brings the most enthusiasm for the longest period of time would win this game,” coach Matt Daniel said. “I think that is what happened. We have to get more up and down on our roster.”
After battling to secure a 10-6 lead with 13:20 remaining in the first half, the Herd surged forward on a 9-to-0 run, spanning 3:21, to find its largest lead of the game at 13 points (19-6). That period saw four points from freshman Chelsey Romero, an and-one conversion by junior Aja Sorrells and a Chukwuka Ezeigbo put-back. UAB fought back on a 16-to-6 run of their own, over 7:21, to cut Marshall’s lead to 25-22 at the break.
UAB gained momentum coming out of halftime, going on a 7-to-2 run to find its first lead of the game of 29-27 at 18:33. However, Marshall remained resilient and took back its lead after a 10-to-2 run, with two threes from Johnson, to make it 37-31 in Marshall’s favor at 15:29. The teams would trade leads five times more, with three ties, until UAB settle into its game-deciding lead with 7:45 left to play. Marshall had no scorers in double figures until Johnson’s fourth trey of the game gave her 12 points with 5:38 remaining, making it 52-49, UAB. Marshall came within three points again with 1:23 after Johnson’s fifth three, but could not hold on in the final minute as UAB drained four foul shots to secure a 63-57 win.
Contrary to the average Marshall offense, which commits only 12.6 turnovers per game, the Herd turned it over 16 times to UAB. Marshall also found itself at a disadvantage in rebounding, 44-40. However, Marshall converted all 15 of its offensive rebounds for 15 second chance points. UAB’s leading scorer and rebounder, Karisma Chapman, finished with a double-double of 25 points and 11 boards.
