University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Marshall
Bulldogs Drop Consolation Game to Marshall
12.30.2008 | Women's Basketball
COLLEGE PARK, Md.?Ana Baker scored 14 points while Kendall Shepard and Lindsey Thompson 13 and 11 points respectively but Marshall shot 60 percent from the floor to defeat UNC Asheville 89-68 in the consolation game of the Terrapin Classic Tuesday afternoon.
Marshall (6-5) began the game with a 10-0 just over three minutes in. Five straight points by Baker cut the lead in half. Angelica Harris, who had 11 points in the game, hit a three-pointer put the Herd back up by eight.
The Bulldogs (3-9) came right back, cutting the lead to a point, 15-14, at the 7:26 mark before Marshall went on a 15-2 stretch to open up its largest lead of the game at 30-16.
Asheville turned the tables once again, finishing the half with a 14-6 run to close within six points, 36-30, at halftime. Baker was pivotal in the run, scoring seven of the final ten points of the half for the Dogs.
An 11-0 march to begin the second half gave Marshall its largest margin of the contest at 17 points. Shepard, who scored three points in the first half, tallied six straight to close the gap to 11 points, but in a game that provided several runs by both teams, the Herd quickly responded to open up a 20-point advantage at 60-40.
Marshall led by as many as 29 points with 4:37 remaining before Asheville closed the lead under 20 points in the closing minutes.
Chantelle Handy paced the Herd with 14 points while Keona Brooks chipped in a career high 13 points along with grabbing a career high four rebounds. Alix Barnette and Harris each finished with 11.
Marshall shot 57 percent from the floor in the first half and 62 percent in the second half while Asheville shot 34 percent from the floor.
Shepard enjoyed her return to her home state as she scored double-figures in both tournament games. Thompson also had a solid tournament averaging 11.5 points per game and as now been in double-figures in each of the last three games.
The Bulldogs will open Big South Conference play on Saturday, Jan. 3, at Coastal Carolina. The 2 p.m. game can be heard live on ESPN Radio 1310/970 WISE. Live video streaming will also be available on the Big South Edge for a small fee.
