Print |
E-mail to a friend
SPORTS
Herd men back in the win column
Marshall's Damier Pitts drives on Old Dominion's Marquel DeLancey during the Marshall vs. Old Dominion baskeball game at the Cam Henderson Center on Saturday, November 29, 2008.
Purchase this photoRelated:
HUNTINGTON -- Everything Marshall did wrong last week in Florida, the Thundering Herd did right Saturday.
Marshall (2-3) downed Old Dominion, 68-64, in a Cam Henderson Center men's basketball game that was a turnaround from three consecutive losses at the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla.
"It was great to finally win a game after a long Florida trip which I think helped our team," said Thundering Herd head coach Donnie Jones.
Consider these statistics from Saturday:
Marshall had only 12 turnovers against Old Dominion (1-3) after averaging 16 in Florida against Morgan State, Green Bay and Ole Miss.
Old Dominion had just four offensive rebounds. All three opponents in Florida had 12.
Old Dominion attempted only five foul shots. Morgan State, Green Bay and Ole Miss all shot at least 26.
"Coming back after the Daytona trip we started correcting things we didn't do right," Marshall freshman guard Shaq Johnson said. "We're not looking back, we're looking forward."
Jones said he was proud of the players for sticking together through the adversity of sophomore guard Brandon Powell's dismissal Friday because of an unspecified violation of team policy. Powell was averaging 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 21 minutes per game.
Starting guard Chris Lutz (hamstring) and freshman guard Dago Pena (shoulder) didn't play because of injuries.
Forward Tyler Wilkerson, a starter, played with an illness that prevented him from eating for a few days, Jones said.
Marshall was led by forward Tirrell Baines with 15 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore center Marcus Goode provided 11 points and eight rebounds from off the bench. Johnson scored 10 and Markel Humphrey tacked on nine points.
Goode did most of his work in the first half. The 6-foot-10, 300-pound sophomore made five of seven field goal attempts.
"He has a good touch," ODU coach Blaine Taylor said. "A lot of times big space eaters like that don't have good touch."
Starting point guard Damier Pitts and backup Darryl Merthie shared playing time while combining for 14 assists and only two turnovers. Pitts also had seven points while Merthie scored six.
Pitts and Merthie responded to the coaching methods of Jones, who said he has been getting on them about taking care of the basketball.
"That is outstanding guard play," Jones said.
Baines brought the noisy home crowd of 5,130 to its feet with a dunk after a steal and assist by Pitts and the Herd had a 10-point lead with 16:32 left in the game.
But, Old Dominion wasn't finished. Ben Finney connected on consecutive 3-pointers in a run that pulled the Monarchs into a 45-45 tie with 12:57 remaining. The visitors from the Colonial Athletic Association didn't get the lead, but stayed close until the end.
Goode's nice pass to Johnson cutting for a basket made it Marshall 55-50 and Old Dominion answered again. Kent Bazemore converted a three-point play and Keyon Carter's 3-pointer pulled the Monarchs within 57-56 with about five minutes to go.
Johnson made two important defensive plays late, coming up with steals to protect the lead.
"The reason he got in the starting lineup was his defense," Jones said.
Finney, who led the Monarchs with 16 points, was 4-for-4 shooting 3-pointers until firing an airball. Johnson was fouled with the rebound and made two foul shots with 13 seconds left for a 66-62 edge.
Old Dominion center Gerald Lee scored on a layup, making it a two-point game with five seconds showing, before Baines stepped to the foul line and made two free throws with two seconds left.
Lee, a 6-10 junior averaging 16.3 points a game, was in early foul trouble and had 10 points and two rebounds in 24 minutes. He is the nephew of Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame player Russell Lee.
