HUNTINGTON -- Marshall hasn't been a good road warrior, winning only five of 24 men's basketball games away from home under head coach Donnie Jones.

Winning away from home separates the good from the average.

"We haven't done that yet in this program," said Jones, who has an overall 33-31 record in two-plus seasons with the Thundering Herd.

Marshall, 2-0 at home with victories against North Carolina A&T and Middle Tennessee State, gets its first road test at 7 p.m., Saturday, at Old Dominion (3-0). The Monarchs led by Gerald Lee, nephew of Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame member Russell Lee, are 3-0 with wins at home against Bethune Cookman and Longwood and a road victory at Liberty.

Old Dominion plays at the Ted Constant Center (8,424 capacity) in Norfolk, Va., and has a 91-21 all-time record on its home court. Average attendance for the first two home games of the season was 6,140.

The Monarchs were 16-3 at home last season and have all five starting players back from a team that rolled to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament championship.

Marshall built some confidence winning at home, but has to prove itself elsewhere, Jones said.

"We didn't win enough on the road (last season), and we've got the same guys and new guys who haven't been on the road," he said.

Jones said the ODU atmosphere is as tough as anywhere Marshall plays in Conference USA.

The Thundering Herd edged Middle Tennessee State, 63-60, on Tuesday. Herd guard Damier Pitts was 6-for-6 on free throws in the final 4:34 to help secure the win. Tirrell Baines led the way with 12 points while Shaq Johnson and Tyler Wilkerson both scored 11. Hassan Whiteside had eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots

Marshall shooters struggled against the Blue Raiders, making just 22 of 53 field goal attempts and three of 16 from the 3-point line.

"Obviously, we have to shoot the basketball better," Jones said after the game. "I hope it's next Saturday."

Johnson, a sophomore guard, leads Marshall with a 16.5 scoring average. Wilkerson, a 6-foot-8 senior forward, is scoring 9.5 per game and collecting 12.0 rebounds.

Old Dominion has all five starting players back from last season including Lee, a 6-10, 250-pound senior from Finland getting 10.3 points a game in a balanced offense. Lee received a share of the Colonial Athletic Association's preseason player of the year award.

Eight other Monarchs score at least five points per contest.

GAME NOTES: ODU cautioned fans going to the game about possible traffic problems with many downtown Norfolk streets closed after 5 p.m., Saturday, because of a holiday parade. ... Marshall defeated Old Dominion last season, 68-64, in Huntington. ... Former ODU head coach Sonny Allen played and coached at Marshall. Allen is also in the Marshall sports hall of fame.

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