Men’s basketball picks up eighth win

Herd moves to 8-16 after 80-73 victory over North Texas

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Andrea Steele

Marshall University men’s basketball team takes on the Owls of Rice University Thursday in the Cam Henderson Center.

 

The Thundering Herd started the contest off with back-to-back-to-back three pointers to build a 9-0 advantage. The Mean Green answered with a 12-0 run of its own, later in the first half and added an 8-0 run early in the second half as well.

The Herd has lacked the ability to overcome these deficits for most of the season but is now starting to turn it around. Head coach Dan D’Antoni did not have a true explanation for the turn around.

“I have no idea,” D’Antoni said. “Except that you develop as teams as you experience certain things. I’d like to say I gave a Rocky speech, but it’s not that.”

Sophomore forward Ryan Taylor now has double-doubles in six straight games and surpassed the 750 career point benchmark with his 12 points in the contest.

Taylor and his teammates could not rely on the scoreboard to determine where they stood in comparison to their opponents due to an error on the part of the scoreboard operator.

Though it made it difficult for the fans to keep up with the action, Taylor said it did not affect his game.

“No, because we have people on our bench that know the correct score and they just tell us in the huddle, ‘Don’t look at the scoreboard, just keep playing,’” Taylor said.

Marshall finished with six different players in double figures including junior forward Jay Johnson. Johnson collected 14 points and six rebounds in just 21 minutes.

“I’ve always been the type of person to be a hustle player,” Johnson said. “If I can get down there and get an offensive rebound, that’s what’s going to fire me up.”

The Mean Green fell to 9-13 (3-7) with the loss and is now 0-9 on the season when allowing 70 points or more. The Herd rose to 8-16 (4-7) after the victory. The Herd will take on Western Kentucky University in the Cam Henderson Center Saturday.

Adam Polsky can be contacted at [email protected].