The Marshall University men’s basketball team earned its eighth consecutive victory Thursday night, using a late run in the first half to take control against Duquesne at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh.
Three ties and four lead changes in just under 10 minutes of play made for a hectic start for both sides, but one play seemingly changed the trajectory of momentum, which found itself in favor of the visitors.
Wyatt Fricks knocked down a 3-pointer to break a 15-15 tie with 10:48 left in the first half, was fouled in the act and thenmade the ensuing free throw to give Marshall a 19-15 lead.
From that point on, the Thundering Herd never trailed and what was once a competitive game became lopsided in a hurry.
Marshall turned 14 Duquesne first half turnovers into 21 points, and scored the final 16 points of the period to take a 46-27 lead into the locker room.
To compliment their efforts on defense, the Herd shot a blistering 57% from the floor through the first 20 minutes.
Kamdyn Curfman made three triples and led Marshall with 11 points. Taevion Kinsey added 10 points and Fricks turned in 10 off the bench.
“It shows you we can be really good because the first half was textbook,” Marshall head coach Dan D’Antoni said. “What we’ve got to do is take that to the second half all the time, and I think as we get a little older we will.”
Duquesne rode the backs of Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III, who helped trim that 19-point halftime deficit to single digits in the opening minutes of the second half.
The duo sparked a 12-0 run that cut Marshall’s lead to 50-44 not six minutes into the second half. Clark finished with a team-high 19 points while Grant added 18 of his own.
The Herd’s shooting successes in the first half didn’t carry over into the second, as it went cold from the floor, making less than 35% of their chances as Duquesne took advantage of the offensive lull and strung together points in bunches.
“We knew going into halftime we couldn’t rest coming out out in the second half,” Kinsey said. “We kind of did let our foot off the gas. Then we snapped back into it at the end when we went into panic mode, but sometimes that’s what you’ve got to do.”
The closest the Dukes ever got down the stretch was within four points when Tevin Brewer drained an open 3-pointer to make the score 63-59.
The Herd was never caught without an answer, regrouping after every Duquesne run to preserve the lead and pick up its second on the road this season.
Five Marshall players scored at least 10 points, led by Kinsey (19) and Andrew Taylor (18). Curfman scored 14, Fricks finished with 12 and Obinna Anochili-Killen added 11. Micah Handlogten pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds. Taylor had a team-high six assists.
The victory moved Marshall to 8-1 on the season and snapped a streak of six consecutive wins for Duquesne (7-2). The Herd will play its second contest of a three-game road swing Saturday evening at Robert Morris.
Luke Creasy is a reporter for The Herald-Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @LukeCreasy or reach him by phone at 304-526-2800.
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