— By Bill Cornwell
Marshall hopes to prolong its season and continue its run in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament when the Herd plays Friday at Youngstown State in a third-round matchup.
The game at Zidian Family Arena at the Beeghly Center tips at 6:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to the quarterfinal round.
As has been the case for an extended period of time, Youngstown State’s program has several West Virginia connections and even ties to Marshall.
Logan native Shayna Gore, Marshall’s all-time leader in three-pointers, is in her second season as an assistant coach with the Penguins as part of head coach Melissa Jackson’s staff.
Gore is Marshall’s leader in points scored in the 21st Century.
Two West Virginia natives — Wayne’s Brooke Adkins and Cameron’s Ashlynn Van Tassell — are freshmen at YSU and have played sparingly this season.
Van Tassell missed all of last season as a true freshman when she suffered a significant lower body injury in the preseason.
Marshall (24-9) earned its spot in the WNIT Round of 16 with its 66-53 victory against UMBC Monday night in Huntington.
Timaya Lewis-Eutsey scored 21 points to lead the Herd and all scorers.
The next night, the Herd discovered it would face the Penguins after YSU (25-9) defeated Maryland-Eastern Shore, 61-42.
Lewis-Eutsey, an all-Sun Belt Conference first-team honoree and the league Newcomer of the Year, is Marshall’s top scorer at 19.4 points.
Fellow seniors Meredith Maier (9.3) and Peyton Ilderton (9.2) also add scoring punch as well as a surplus of experience.
Senior Blessing King is Marshall’s top rebounder at 5.8.
YSU finished 15-5 in the Horizon League and made it to the conference tournament title game before falling to Green Bay, 57-49.
The Penguins have four players averaging double-figure scoring in Casey Santoro (11.9 points), Casey Baker (11.5), Sophia Gregory (10.6) and Erica King (10.1).
Gregory is the Penguins’ top rebounder with an average of 8.7.
Friday will be the first meeting between the programs since 2000. The Penguins lead the all-time series, 13-4.
The winner of Friday’s game will face Army in a WNIT quarterfinal after the Cadets defeated La Salle on Wednesday, 74-63.