Arkansas State’s historic season came to a close Saturday night as the Red Wolves fell to Marshall 69-62 in the Fab Four, one win shy of the program’s first-ever WNIT championship appearance.

A-State entered its Fab 4 matchup against Marshall with high hopes, looking to advance to its first-ever WNIT championship. The Red Wolves won 27 games, a program record, and were on a three-game winning streak against Radford, Purdue-Fort Wayne and Cleveland State.

The key for the Red Wolves was their 3-point shooting, shooting over 30% the whole WNIT tournament. A-State looked to bounce back against the Herd after losing earlier in the season at Marshall 62-54.

Since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2022, Marshall continued to find success against the Red Wolves with a 4-1 record. Marshall earned a first-round bye and hosted UMBC, defeating the Retrievers 66-53 before going to Youngstown State and beating the Penguins 72-46. Marshall then hosted Army in the Great 8, holding them scoreless in the fourth quarter to take an 82-65 win.

The Herd’s defense has been the key to their sustained WNIT tournament run. It was a huge factor in the first half, creating turnovers and not allowing A-State to get comfortable 3s. The Marshall zone created a lot of tough shots for A-State, and the Herd had success clogging the paint, preventing easy points.

Marshall shot 49% from the field in the first quarter with 14 rebounds and forced turnovers. A-State shot 21%, scoring only six points in the first quarter. Despite their success in the tournament leading up to the Fab Four, the Red Wolves were not able to convert any 3-point shots this period, missing all five of their first attempts.

Marshall shot 41% from the field in the first half while A-State shot 31%. Both teams struggled from the free-throw line and 3-point line. Marshall shot 2-for-10 (20%) from 3 while A-State shot 4-for-16 (25%).

Guard Timaya Lewis-Eutsey led the Herd at the half with 13 points, going 6-for-12 from the field with an assist, while guards Bella Weary and Mimi McCollister combined for 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting to power A-State’s offense. The Red Wolves struggled to find a rhythm as Marshall led 32-25 at the half.

The Herd continued their strong performance in the third quarter. They shot efficiently and hung their hat on the defensive end with four steals and two blocks. Marshall shot 44% from the field, 50% from 3 and went perfect from the free-throw line in the quarter.

After the game, Head Coach Destinee Rogers said she credited Marshall for their performance.

“That’s a credit to who they are as people, they want to be coached, they want to win. They fought. We just fell short. That’s a non-negotiable for us, we want to play hard and fight,” Rogers said.

A-State’s offense found better efficiency from the field in the third, shooting 47% while their shots from beyond the arc and free-throw line continued to miss the net, recording a 25% and 33% accuracy from both areas, respectively.

Rogers said that A-State continued to find itself in a rut throughout the game, leading to their heartbreaker loss.

“Sometimes it’s your night and it just wasn’t ours. We were hesitant early and kind of dug ourselves in a hole. We just would have liked to shoot the ball a little bit better,” Rogers said.

Marshall’s consistency from the free-throw line and timely 3s turned out to be the difference in the game. A-State could not get past Marshall’s 1-3-1 zone defense, which was a struggle for the team all season long. Despite A-State scoring more second-chance points (17-2) and more points in the paint (22-10), Marshall edged them on the boards 15-14. The Herd also shot 13-for-14 from the free-throw line compared to A-State’s 1-for-6, which allowed Marshall to keep its lead late.

Marshall finished the game with a 69-62 win, with Lewis-Eutsey leading the Herd with 31 points, going 10-for-18 from the field, 1-for-2 from 3 and 10-for-12 from the free-throw line. For A-State, Weary led the way with 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting, 2-for-5 from 3, along with seven rebounds and five steals. Guard Crislyn Rose added 16 points on 8-for-12 shooting with three rebounds and a steal.

Rogers also said she is thankful for the administration’s support and expects to compete for championships in the future.

“We’re going to bring some really good players in here and compete to win again. We’re going to attack the portal super hard,” Rogers said. “We’re going to have a roster that can compete for a championship. I’m ready to win more here.”

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