Marshall University Athletics
Wildcats Outlast Marshall Men, 89-76
12/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Wildcats Outlast Marshall Men, 89-76
12/2/2003
CINCINNATI, Ohio - Despite a career high 23 points from Cincinnati-area native Ronny Dawn (Fort Thomas, Ky.), the Kentucky Wildcats defeated a gritty Thundering Herd team, 89-76, Monday evening at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati.
Dawn, who played at nearby Newport Central Catholic High School, knocked down eight of ten shots from the floor, including seven of nine from beyond the arc. His seven made threes tied a record in the Kentucky basketball annals for three-point baskets made by an opponent with five other players.
Underdog Marshall started the contest with a bang, as sophomore forward Mark Patton (Barboursville, W.Va.) stole a Cliff Hawkins pass right after the opening tip, and drove to the basket where he was fouled by Kentucky's Erik Daniels. The effort by Patton gave the Wildcats and the crowd of 13,913 at the U.S. Bank Arena a sign of things to come -- a hard fought, all-out basketball game that was as entertaining as it was close. The Herd only had the lead three times, but the Wildcats could never put the finishing blow to Marshall, who was as close as four points with just under 11 minutes to play in regulation.
After Patton made one of two free throws, Kentucky took the lead and held it until Patton slammed home a fast break basket to make the score, 15-13. The Wildcats tied the contest at 15, but Marshall once again regained the lead at 17-15 on a Marvin Black (Cleveland, Ohio) layup. UK then went on a decisive 13-0 run to give them a working margin they would keep for the rest of the half, as they went into the mid-game break with a 47-34 lead.
In the second stanza, Marshall hung around, and eventually peiced together seven consecutive points to cut the Kentucky margin to seven points at 55-48, and three minutes later at the 11:19 mark, David Anderson (Levittown, Puerto Rico) finished a three-point play to make the score, 64-60. However, the Wildcats capitalized on two Marshall turnovers on the next two possessions to get the lead back up to eight at 68-60, and after a missed Marvin Black field goal, senior guard Gerald Fitch pushed Kentucky over the top with a three-pointer to make the score 71-60. The Fitch three gave UK the cushion they would have the rest of the game.
"Tonight was a hard fought game," said Marshall head coach Ron Jirsa. "But, you have to give credit to Kentucky. They are a very well coached team and remained calm throughout the game."
The deciding statistics in the game were the +7 offensive rebounding margin for the Wildcats (17-10), eight more Thundering Herd turnovers (17-9), and UK's advantage when it came to points in the paint (56-30) The Wildcats outscored the Herd 21-5 off of those turnovers, and 13-5 on second chance points.
"We can compete, but we've got to learn to win," said Jirsa. "We've got to turn competing hard into winning ball games."
Fitch, a Macon, Georgia, native, led all scorers with 24 clutch points. Kelenna Azubuike added 16 points, and Erik Daniels poured in 14. Antwain Barbour scored 11 points for Kentucky off the bench.
For the Thundering Herd, Dawn led the way with his aforementioned 23 points. Marvin Black had his second double-double in three games with a 16-point, ten rebound effort, while Tre Whitted (Wilmington, N.C.) added a career-high ten points.
Marshall continues its journey on the road with a game at Radford on Thursday night. Tip off is slated for a 7 p.m. start.
