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Spartanburg, S.C. - For USC Upstate junior guard Kendra Wallace, Wednesday night's game will be a homecoming for the Hurricane, W.Va., native when USC Upstate travels to Huntington to take on Marshall in a non-conference battle at the Cam Henderson Center. Hurricane is located just 25 miles away from Huntington, so Wallace is sure to have a number of family and friends in attendance at the game, which starts at 7:00 pm.
Upstate enters Wednesday's game with a 0-1 record after taking an 87-53 defeat at Mississippi State last Friday night. The Spartans got a tremendous season-debut from senior Chelsea McMillan. She finished with 17 points and 20 rebounds to lead the Spartans in the game. Marshall enters the game with a 1-1 record, having dropped a 64-55 decision to Appalachian State at Longwood's Tournament on Friday and taking a 62-54 victory over Longwood on Saturday. Upstate and Marshall have never met on the hardwood.
Fans can follow the action live online in a variety of ways. Free live audio will be available via the official Upstate Athletics website at www.upstatespartans.com. Live stats and live video (for a fee) will be available via the official Marshall Athletics website at www.herdzone.com.
Looking Back At Mississippi State
Despite getting a career performance from Chelsea McMillan against a team that advanced to the Sweet 16 a year ago, USC Upstate could not overcome costly turnovers and took an 87-53 loss at Mississippi State Friday night in the Humphrey Center. McMillan, a senior from East Gadsden, Fla, was simply outstanding, finishing with 17 points and a career-high 20 rebounds for her 23rd career double-double. Madisen Webb, from Georgetwon, Ky, had a solid collegiate debut, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds. Upstate, though committed 24 turnovers which led to 34 Lady Bulldog points in the game.
Looking For Some Home Cooking
When Upstate tips off at Marshall Wednesday night, Hurricane, W.Va., native Kendra Wallace will have the opportunity to play in front of a number of family and friends. Hurricane is located about 25 miles from Huntington, so the junior sharp-shooter will have her first opportunity to play in front of the home folks. A graduate of Nitro High School, she was a three-time 3A All-State selection and set the state record with 85 three-pointers as a senior. She finished her career with more than 2,000 points and was runner-up for state player of the year her senior season.
McMillan Strong In Season Debut
Senior post player Chelsea McMillan certainly lived up to her billing as the A-Sun Preseason Player of the Year in the season opener at Mississippi State last Friday. She was arguably the most dominant player on the court, finsihing with 17 points and a career-high 20 rebounds against the SEC program that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Her 20-rebound performance stands as the fourth-best in school history and the top effort during Upstate's Division I era.
Oh What A Tangled Webb
The first college game can be a nerve-racking experience for any freshman. Having that opener come against a program from the SEC and which advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament a year ago makes it that much more difficult. Madisen Webb, though, didn't seem to be overwhelmed with the occasion, finishing the game with 12 points and five rebounds to post the second-most points in the game for the Spartans and lead Upstate's freshman contingent.
Squashing The Turnover Bug
While there were several bright spots for Upstate in its season-opening loss at Mississippi State, one area the Spartans were less than stellar in was turning the ball over. Upstate committed 24 turnovers against the Lady Bulldogs, leading to 34 points for Mississippi State. Turnovers are typically a concern early in the season as teams adjust to playing different opponents. One of the top teams in the A-Sun last year in protecting the basketball, expect head coach Tammy George to sure up possession of the ball as the season moves forward.
Hitting The Glass
Aided by 20 rebounds by Chelsea McMillan, Upstate hit the boards to the tune of 45 rebounds at Mississippi State last Friday. The Spartans crashed the boards on both ends of the court with nine of the 10 players who saw action in the game coming away with a rebound.
Downey Joins Team Full-Time
Senior post player Katie Downey is making her first trip as a member of the Upstate women's basketball team. A native of Belleville, Ill., Downey is in her fifth year at Upstate. She has been a valuable member of the volleyball program since 2006, finishing as the program's all-time leader in assisted blocks and the program's Division I era leader in several categories. An accomplished basketball player in high school, she has joined the women's basketball program for the first time in her time at Upstate. She missed the trip to Mississippi State last week after finishing the volleyball season last Wednesday.
Scouting Marshall
Marshall enters Wednesday night's game against Upstate with a 1-1 record after splitting its games at Longwood's tournament over the weekend. The Thundering Herd dropped their season opener against Appalachian State, 64-55. They came back to post a 62-54 victory over Longwood to get back to .500 for the year. Wednesday's game will be the Herd's home opener.
Head Coach Royce Chadwick is in his 27th year as a head coach on the college level. He is in his 10th season at the helm of the Marshall program. With 537 career wins, he is not only a veteran of the sidelines, but one with a winning reputation.
Marshall averages 58.5 points per game on the young season. The Herd shoots at a 41.7 percent clip. They have struggled from the three-point arc, hitting just 3-of-20 on the year.
As is typical early in the season, turnovers have been a problem for Marshall. The Herd has committed 44 in two games, averaging 22 a contest. Expect that number to lower as the season goes on.
Marshall has two players who average in double figures on the year. Tynikki Crook leads the way with 15 points a game. She also tops the club with 8.5 rebounds per outing. Rashed Henriques is second on the team with 13 points per game and is a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. While Lateidra Elliott leads the team with seven assists on the year, she also tops the club with 10 turnovers.