HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Aja Blount led three Coastal Carolina players in double figures, as the Chanticleers dropped a back-and-forth contest in Huntington, W.Va., with the Marshall Thundering Herd picking up a 65-60 win. With the loss, CCU dropped to 11-13 on the year and 6-7 in league play, while Marshall improved to 15-9 overall and 8-5 in conference play with the win.
The two teams were tied at 57-57 with three minutes left to play before the Thundering Herd used an 8-3 burst to pick up their sixth straight Sun Belt Conference win. Marshall's Roshala Scott scored seven of the Herd's final eight points, as Marshall shot 87.5 percent in the final quarter on 7-of-8 shooting.
Blount had 18 points and 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. She was aided by
Deaja Richardson, who had 17 points, and
Anaya Barney, who had 11 points. Center
Miriam Recarte chipped in with nine points while grabbing seven rebounds.
The Thundering Herd saw Roshala Scott, Abby Beeman, and Mahogany Matthews all score 17 points each, with Matthews grabbing 10 rebounds for a double-double.
In the opening quarter, Marshall jumped out to the early 7-3 advantage before Coastal answered with a 10-1 surge to take a 13-8 advantage, highlighted by a pair of three-point jump shots by Richardson and Recarte. The Thundering Herd closed the opening quarter with a 7-3 run to trail 16-15, sparked by a Sydni Scott layup and capped off by a jump shot by Roshala Scott.
The two teams opened the second-quarter action by trading the first 12 points of the period before Coastal Carolina pushed in front by four points at 25-21 with 4:56 left until the break only to see Marshall's Beeman spark a 6-0 burst to finish the first-half scoring with the Chants leading by just two at 31-29 at the halftime break.
The third quarter opened as the two teams see-sawed back-and-forth trading the lead 11 times until the Chanticleers' Barney and Blount finished the third-period scoring to give CCU a 46-42 lead with a 5-0 surge and 10 minutes left to play.
Coastal opened the fourth and final quarter with four quick points, as Blount and Richardson pushed the visitor's lead to eight at 50-42. The Thundering Herd answered with a 13-2 run to take a three-point advantage at 55-52, highlighted by Matthews' six points.
Despite trailing 55-52, CCU answered with a 5-0 burst to take a two-point advantage at 57-55, as
Helena Delaruelle and Blount hit back-to-back layups. However, Marshall finished the game with a 10-3 run for the final margin of 65-60, highlighted by nine Roshala Scott points.
Coastal Carolina will remain on the road, as the Chanticleers will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Saturday, Feb. 11. The opening tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
For complete coverage of CCU women's basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWBB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
