While winter weather forced schedule changes across Marshall Athletics, Marshall Women’s Basketball did not let the disruption slow it down.
After navigating delayed travel and a tight schedule caused by Winter Storm Fern, the Thundering Herd picked up an 82-75 road win over ULM Friday, Jan. 23. The win pushed Marshall to 17-5 overall and 8-2 in Sun Belt Conference play, keeping the Herd firmly in the conference title race.
The win capped a week of schedule changes caused by winter weather. Snow and ice across the region forced multiple teams to adjust travel plans and game schedules. For Marshall Women’s Basketball, the impact was met with immediate urgency. After a Thursday night win at Southern Miss, the Herd traveled more than 200 miles overnight to Monroe, Louisiana, and took the court again Friday afternoon with minimal recovery time.
Head coach Juli Fulks said the team leaned into its core values during the demanding turnaround.
“One of the things I’m really proud of is this is a group that the harder the challenge, the more they rise,” Fulks said. “There were 100 things about the last two days that we had to adapt and change and other challenges that just come sometimes with the course of traveling, and it’s something we take a lot of pride in.”
The Warhawks tested Marshall early, building an 11-point lead in the opening quarter. The Herd responded by closing the gap to tie the game at 22 points each by the end of the first quarter. It carried that momentum into the second quarter, taking a two-point lead by the end of it.
The game turned in the third quarter when Marshall outscored ULM 21-6. Senior guard Meredith Maier knocked down three 3-pointers during the period, helping the Herd create separation and securing the lead heading into the final quarter. ULM fought back in the fourth quarter, outscoring Marshall 28-18, but it was still not enough to grab the win.
Senior Timaya Lewis-Eutsey led Marshall with 25 points, followed by Maier who finished with 14 points. Senior guard Peyton Ilderton added 12 points, connecting on four shots from beyond the arc. Redshirt sophomore Timberlynn Yeast contributed seven points.
Fulks said experiences like the back-to-back road games can prepare teams for postseason play.
“It’s going to help us in the conference tournament when you have to do this back-to-back,” she said, “but thankfully, not travel three-and-a-half hours in the middle.”
Fulks also said the experiences the team endured could be viewed as a good life lesson for navigating change.
“I think it’s the best lesson everybody can learn,” Fulks said. “I think anybody who is really rigid in life, it’s much harder because life continues to throw curveballs.”
After gaining its second victory in less than 24 hours, Marshall finished its four-game road swing at 2-2 and is inching closer to the lead in the Sun Belt standings.The team is currently falling directly behind Arkansas State, who stands at 9-1 in conference and 18-4 overall.
The Thundering Herd will return to Huntington and open a two-game homestand against Troy Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. at the Cam Henderson Center, if the weather permits it.
Ella Hatfield can be contacted at [email protected].
