Marshall's Meredith Maier (23), right, shoots a pass away from Coastal Carolina's Anaya Barney (3) on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington.
Marshall's Meredith Maier (23), right, shoots a pass away from Coastal Carolina's Anaya Barney (3) on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington.
HUNTINGTON Ƶ Meredith MaierƵs six-point, one-rebound, one-assist performance Saturday was far from a career-best in any of those categories, but was among the most important of her career.
Maier, a 6-foot junior forward, returned from a knee injury after missing three games and all but nine minutes of a fourth after suffering a knee injury in a 71-65 Marshall womenƵs basketball victory Feb. 1 at Georgia Southern.
Thundering Herd coach Juli Fulks eased Maier back in the lineup, playing her 16 minutes off the bench in a 66-57 loss to Coastal Carolina on Saturday.
Ƶ(Saturday) was the first time sheƵs gone as long as sheƵs gone (since the injury),Ƶ Fulks said of Maier. ƵSheƵs been working through the progression and done a really good job. We didnƵt know how much we were going to use her. Some of it depended on legs.
ƵShe was fresher than everybody else. It was good for her to see the ball go through the net again and get her legs back under her on offense and defense.Ƶ
Maier is MarshallƵs third-leading scorer, in terms of averages, at 10 points per game and No. 2 rebounder at 4.9. Her return significantly helps the Herd in both categories.
She figures to be an important piece in MUƵs quest to avenge its 68-64 loss to Appalachian State on Jan. 18 at Cam Henderson Center. Marshall (8-18, 3-11 Sun Belt) visits the Mountaineers (13-12, 9-5) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Boone, North Carolina.
ƵTaking a couple of weeks off is hard,Ƶ Fulks said of Maier. ƵItƵs harder than people think. Just taking the first hit again, you have to get through all the mental stuff as well as the physical.Ƶ
C.C. Mays, the HerdƵs second-leading scorer at 12.2 points a game and No. 3 rebounder at 4.8, said she welcomes Maier back to the court.
ƵWhen she was out, it was a tough thing for all of us,Ƶ Mays said. ƵWe prayed for her. We were hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. Thank God we didnƵt (receive) the worst. IƵm very happy to have her back.Ƶ
Mays said Maier takes pressure off her and leading scorer Aislynn Hayes, who scores a conference-best 17.2 points an outing.
ƵSheƵs a shooter, sheƵs a threat on the offensive end,Ƶ Mays said of Maier. ƵWeƵre just trying to get her back in the rotation and get her back into a rhythm.Ƶ
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