Box Score HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Junior college transfer Lashonda Littleton sank two free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining as the Indiana State Women's Basketball team wiped away a 20-point deficit in the second half to defeat Marshall, 68-67, on Sunday afternoon at the Cam Henderson Center. Indiana State snapped a two-game skid and improved to 3-2 on the 2013-14 season.
“Down the stretch and when it mattered, our press was good to us and I though Lashonda did a great job for us and hit those free throws,” Head coach Teri Moren said. “I'm proud of the kids and give them all credit for fighting back.”
The Sycamores outscored the Thundering Herd (1-3), 45-28, in the second half and used a 16-0 run in the later portion of the period to come within four with 4:04 to play. Marshall would extend its lead back to seven with 2:44 on the clock on a layup by Chukwuka Ezeigbo, but she would turn around to foul sophomore forward Marina Laramie who sank two free throws to cut the lead to five.
Senior guard Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, junior guard Natasha Zurek and senior guard Anna Munn combined to score four free throws to help put ISU within two with 1:14 to play. But a Thundering Herd free throw would extend the lead back to three with less than a minute on the clock.
Littleon would go to work as she grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed Munn three pointer with 36 seconds left as Moren called a timeout. A foul by Abdul-Qaadir sent Marshall to the line, but they would miss the double-bonus shots.
Littleton picked up another offensive rebound from a missed shot with 1.7 seconds that sent her to the line as she hit both free throws to seal the victory.
In the win, Munn became the 27th player in Indiana State Women's Basketball history to score 1,000 points as she sank a free throw with 57 seconds remaining in the first half. The Indianapolis, Ind. native scored 13 points on the afternoon along with three rebounds and two steals while going 8-for-10 from the line.
Abdul-Qaadir led ISU with 17 points on the afternoon. Four Sycamores scored in double-figures including Abdul-Qaadir and Munn along with double-doubles from Laramie, who scored 13 points and tied a career-high 14 rebounds along with Littleton who posted 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Marshall led 39-23 at halftime behind a 50 percent shooting effort compared to Indiana State's dismal 24 percent in the first half as the lead changed 11 times before the break.
The Sycamores held a five point lead early on with a good layup by Laramie with 14:05 to play. In a back-and-forth battle, ISU lead 18-17 on a fast break layup by Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir but the Thundering Herd took a commanding lead on an 11-0 run midway through the first period.
On the afternoon, Indiana State outrebounded the Herd, 40-36, despite fall behind 23-15 at the break. However, the Sycamores shot just 31.5 percent from the floor in the win and 26.7 percent from behind the arc. They also picked up 11 steals and forced 20 Marshall turnovers to help overcome their shooting woes.
“The one thing that stood out to me at halftime was those rebounds and I told them that teams who outrebound their opponent usually win the game and I'm glad that statistic has stuck through in this victory,” Moren said.
They also picked up eight assists, led by Abdul-Qaadir with three. Scorers for ISU also included junior forward Racheal Mahan with seven points and six rebounds while sophomore guard Kasey Johnson added five points.
Up next for the Sycamores is a tough test with No. 15/18 LSU in Baton Rouge on December 3rd. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. ET.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Women's Basketball team, make sure to check GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
