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SPORTS
Marshall looks to restore confidence
HUNTINGTON -- Damier Pitts went from the weight room to the Cam Henderson Center basketball court Thursday afternoon and without warming up stroked 16 of 20 baseline jump shots.
Pitts moved to the top of the foul circle and swished 17 of 20.
That coming from a senior guard who missed eight of his 12 shots Wednesday in a seven-point loss to the UAB Blazers.
Dago Pena was 14-for-21 in a 50-second, 3-point shooting drill.
Pena also made 80 of 100 free throws and Dre Kane made 72 of 100.
Obviously, Marshall University has men's basketball players who can shoot with accuracy.
Marshall, 13-7 for the season and 4-2 in Conference USA, fell against UAB on Wednesday, 56-49, with 35.2 percent shooting from the floor, 21.1 percent (4-for-19) from the 3-point line and 41.2 percent (7-for-17) at the foul line.
"They're pressing when they get into games," Thundering Herd head coach Tom Herrion said. "I've never seen a group collectively struggle so much to make shots. I've seen individual players struggle, but not as a group."
All Marshall did during Thursday's practice was put up shots in an effort to improve before a 9 p.m., Saturday, game at Memphis (14-6, 5-1) that will be televised on WSAZ and Comcast Sports Southeast (Huntington cable Ch. 68).
Marshall is last C-USA for season 3-point percentage (29.9) and last in free throw percentage (59.4). Its overall field goal percentage of 42.7 percent is ninth in the 12-team conference.
The Herd's free throw shooting is ranked 337th of 344 teams in NCAA statistics posted Thursday on ESPN.com. The 3-point shooting is tied for 314th.
Herrion said missing shots can become contagious, just like making them.
"It has to happen at some point," he said. "We've got guys who historically are good shooters."
UAB (7-12, 2-4) and Marshall played a tight contest with the lead changing hands numerous times until the Herd nudged ahead, 41-40, on a Nigel Spikes layup with 11:53 left to play.
Marshall then missed its next nine field goal tries and didn't lead again.
Kane (12 points) and Pitts (10 points), the Marshall scoring average leaders at 16.2 and 12.9 respectively, combined to hit just eight of their 25 shots and were 4-for-15 in the second half.
"Our confidence is shook right now," Herrion said.
.Memphis won Wednesday at home against Rice, 73-51, and grabbed a share of a first-place tie with Southern Miss.
The game in FedExForum was marred by an incident with 7:21 left when Rice guard Tamir Jackson flagrantly fouled Memphis guard Joe Jackson. Jackson was ejected, along with Memphis players Will Barton, Tarik Black and Trey Draper who left the bench area when a scrum ensued.
Memphis players will receive no additional punishment, The Commercial Appeal newspaper reported.
Tamir Jackson will serve a one-game suspension levied by C-USA, an automatic penalty for committing a "Flagrant Foul 2." He will miss a Rice home game Saturday against Tulane.
