Marshall Recap
By Rhys Owens, FM88 Sports
Feb. 14, 2025
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. (WMUL-FM) — A pleasant Valentine’s Day surprise came for Herd fans on Thursday. The Marshall Thundering Herd Women’s Basketball Team defeated Old Dominion 73-70 in overtime.
Marshall (7-17) came into the game looking to bounce back after a crushing loss to Central Michigan. Meanwhile, ODU (14-11) came into the game sitting at sixth place in the Sun Belt after dropping four straight games, including three conference losses.
Both teams looked to make a statement, and in essence they both did. The game was a back-and-forth affair ending in a big way for the Herd as it took the lead in overtime after CC Mays drilled two clutch free throws with just five seconds remaining to give Marshall a five-point lead.
Marshall’s Aislynn Hayes led the way with a game high 29 points, her second highest scoring game of the year. She was aided by Mays 15 points and Maddie Kellione’s 14. The Herd’s three highest scorers dominated at the charity stripe, going a combined 19 for 21.
Marshall’s performance was just barely enough to outdo the Monarchs who had five scorers hit double figures in the points column. This included a 13-point brace off the bench from Simmone Cunningham who had a team high five free throws.
During the post-game press conference head coach Juli Fulks was asked about Marshall’s first half success attacking the basket opening up the three-point game for the Herd. “We knew going into this game because of how they defended we were going to get to the rim,” Fulks said. “And one of the things I was really proud of is we weren’t settling for lower quality shots when we knew we could be wide open at the rim.”
The huge win could be just what the Herd needs to finish the year strong and propel a tournament run, despite being eliminated from conference contention.
Marshall will finish its three-game home stretch on Saturday when they take on the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (18-6) at the Cam Henderson Center at 1 p.m.