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Marshall Sports Info release

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Kendra King and Mystee Dale recorded career nights as the Thundering Herd women's basketball team overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to top UAB, 85-84, in double overtime at the Cam Henderson Center on Saturday evening.

King set a career-high for the second-straight game with 36 points while Dale eclipsed her previous high of 15 points, chipping in 18. Dale also recorded her first career double-double, dishing out 12 assists.

Kendra King hit the floor to save this loose ball in the first half of Marshall's 85-84 win over UAB Saturday evening in snowy Huntington.

photo by Greg Perry/HI staff

Jala Harris led the Blazers with a career-high 40 points, she was the first player to score 40 or more against the Herd since Tye Jackson of Houston did it three years ago in the Conference USA Tournament.

The game was competitive from the start, with the lead changing hands five times over the first five minutes, but with the scored tied 8-8, UAB (10-9, 4-3 C-USA) went on a 15-4 run over the next six minutes to grab a 23-12 lead, its largest of the first half. Three Blazers hit three-pointers over that span to spark the run.

Marshall (13-8, 5-3 C-USA) came back with an 8-0 run of its own to come within a possession, 23-20. Mystee Dale notched a pair of treys before Kendra King wrapped up the run with a jumper. UAB would stretch the lead out to nine points in the final minutes before holding onto a 31-24 lead at the half.

In the second half, the Herd once again cut the lead to three point, 33-30, with 18:51 remaining in the contest, but it was all Blazers from there. Over the next eight minutes, the Blazers went on a 16-3 run to take a 16-point lead, its largest of the game. Amanda Peterson scored three treys in the run.

Refusing to give up, the Herd posted a 17-3 run of its own to get within two points, 52-50, with 6:34 left in the game. Dale scored nine points in the run, which was capped off by her four-point play.

UAB's Amber Jones threw the ball away from the pressure of Marshall's Alaya Mitchell in The Herd's 85-84 win over the Blazers in double OT Saturday evening in Huntington, WV

photo by Greg Perry/HI staff

The Herd came back to tie the game at 62-62 with 1:27 remaining on a Tania Walters free throw, but UAB would jump back on top as Jala Harris hit a jumper with 30 seconds left. With 14 seconds left, Handy was fouled and made both free throw attempts. On the ensuing trip down the floor, Amanda Peterson missed a three-point attempt as the game went to overtime. The game was two more times from there.

In overtime, the lead changed hands three times over the first 2:30 before the Herd went up by three, 69-66, on a jumper by King. With Marshall up 71-68, Jala Harris connected on her fifth three-pointer of the game to tie it up with a minute left. Following a Herd miss, Harris hit another bucket to put the Blazers back on top, but with 5.4 seconds left, Handy hit a clutch lay-up to knot the game once again and send it to a second extra period.

In the second overtime, the lead changed hands six times before a pair free throws by Dale gave MU the lead for good with 12 seconds remaining. UAB never got a shot off on the other end of the floor, ending the game.

Handy finished the game with 16 points and nine rebounds in 35 minutes of action. King's effort marked the first 30-point game for a Marshall player since Modupe Ishola scored 30 against Wright State on December 29, 2006.

Aside from Harris' career night for UAB, Amanda Peterson scored 21, with every point coming via the three-point shot.

The Herd crashed the boards, outrebounding the Blazers, 46-38. MU also finished with a .443-.410 advantage in shooting.

The Herd will be on the road for a pair of games next weekend, beginning at UCF on Thursday before a contest at Southern Miss on Saturday. Marshall will be back at the Cam Henderson Center on February 11 to face Tulane at 7 p.m.