Jan. 20, 2006
ORLANDO - Senior guard Sikeetha Shepard-Hall sank 25 points and went 10-for-18 from the field as Marshall rallied to beat host UCF, 77-60, in Conference USA women's basketball action to a at UCF Arena on Friday night.
With the win, the Thundering Herd stayed perfect at 5-0 in conference play and improved to 10-5 overall. UCF dropped to 4-13 overall and 2-4 in C-USA.
The two teams played tight in the opening three minutes of game. With the score tied at 6 all at 17:24, the Thundering Herd began an 11-2 run to take a quick 17-8 lead. The Golden Knights countered by pouring in 15 unanswered points, including a trio of three-pointers by junior guard Francine Houston. The Black & Gold defense kept Marshall without a point for over seven minutes before Shepard-Hall hit a jumper at 4:14. UCF halted any attempt at a comeback and owned a 29-24 lead at the intermission.
The Golden Knights remained on top to start the second half until Shepard-Hall sank a trey at 16:28 to tie the game at 35 a piece. The two squads exchanged possession of the scoreboard several times before Marshall began to pull away on a three-pointer by junior guard Bridget Chacon at 12:48.
Although Houston hit the fourth of her school record-tying seven three-pointers under a minute later, the Thundering Herd continued to control the contest offensively. The visitors extended their advantage to a game-high 20 with 2:04 remaining to play before the Golden Knights went on a 5-2 run to finish the game.
UCF limited Marshall to nine of 31 (29%) in the first half, but the Thundering Herd bounced back in the second to shoot 23-for-35 (65.7%). Throughout the game, the visitors were hot from behind the arc, where they went 9-for-14 (64.3%) on the night. They also held a 42-28 advantage on the boards.
Shepard-Hall was one of three players scoring in double figures for Marshall. Junior forward Crystal Champion added 17 points, while senior guard Reshundra Smiley had 11. Junior center Modupe Ishola pulled down a game-high 11 boards.
After shooting 12-for-25 (48%) from the floor in the first half, UCF was unable to maintain the intensity and hit 11 of 33 (33.3%) in period two. Houston finished the night with 23 points to lead the Knights, while junior forward Keunta Miles had a team-high seven boards.
The Golden Knights return to the hardwood on Sunday when they host East Carolina for a 2 p.m. tip-off.