The Marshall University women’s basketball team is heading to Charlotte, North Carolina as it takes on the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers 7 p.m. Thursday in the teams’ second matchup of the season.

The Herd’s (16-7, 6-6) last outing against Charlotte Jan. 21 was a tough one, as it picked up its fifth loss of the season after Charlotte guard and Huntington native Griffin Dempsey dropped a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left in the game to secure the win, 64-61.

The 49ers got an early jump on the Herd, surging out to a 23-9 lead by the end of the first quarter and a 38-22 lead at the half.

At one point in the contest, Charlotte had a 22-point lead, but Marshall made a small comeback scoring nine of the next 13 points to cut the 49ers’ lead to 17 by the end of the third quarter.

Seniors Leah Scott and Norrisha Victrum both fought to keep the Herd ahead, scoring 14 and 11 points, respectively, but the offensive duo wasn’t enough to capture the win.

A 21-4 run by the Herd in the fourth quarter tied the game up at 61 with five seconds remaining in the game, but Charlotte’s Dempsey saw an open opportunity after the ball was inbounded to score the game-winning bucket.

Heading into the rematch, Marshall is coming off an 80-76 loss to Western Kentucky University. However, the duo of Scott and Victrum are coming off strong performances. Victrum scored a season-high of 23 points to go along with six assists and three steals. Scott went 9-9 at the free throw line, scoring a total of 18 points while adding seven rebounds and five assists.

Sophomore guard Taylor Porter and junior forward Talequia Hamilton are also putting up numbers for the Herd. Porter hit all five of her shots to, including three 3-pointers to score 13 points against Western Kentucky,, while Hamilton tacked on 11 points and six rebounds.

The Herd will look to split the season series with the 49ers as it travels to Dale F. Halton Arena in the teams’ final matchup of the season.

Brittanie Fowler can be contacted at [email protected].