The Marshall University women’s basketball team will hit the road to Murfreesboro, Tennessee as it takes on Middle Tennessee State University 7:30 Thursday.

This will be the team’s first game on the road following a four-game home stretch that saw the Herd go 2-2.

The veteran members of the team said they recognize the back-to-back road contests Thursday and Saturday will be a grind.

“The team needs to be ready to get punched and punch back to get these next few wins on the road,” senior guard Norrisha Victrum said.

“The team needs to keep up the momentum and energy from last game over these next two road games and keep playing the way they have been playing,” junior forward Chelsey Romero said.

Following a tough 64-61 home loss  to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Jan. 21, the team  bounced back with a comfortable 80-62 win over Old Dominion University Sunday.

Sophomore guard Taylor Porter and her long-range shooting were key for the Herd in the victory. Porter led the team 18 points and went 4-6 from beyond the arc.

“The loss to Charlotte was a tough loss,” Romero said. “But against Old Dominion, we threw the first punch. And after that the rest of the game took care of itself.”

Thursday’s game against Middle Tennessee State will present a challenge, as the Blue Raiders are riding a two-game win streak and currently rank third in the conference with a 5-2 record.

Romero said the Herd will have to be effective on the boards to pull off the upset.

Specifically, Romero and her fellowfrontcourt teammates may be targeting the offensive glass and second-chance opportunities as Middle Tennessee State ranks last in the conference in defensive rebounds per game with 18.6. 

Christian Hisman can be contacted at [email protected].