Marshall University Athletics
UAB Holds Off Marshall, 81-78
12/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UAB Holds Off Marshall, 81-78
12/4/2004
Tre Whitted scored a career-high 20 points vs. the Blazers on Saturday night. Photo by Matt Riley |
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. ? Future Conference USA rival UAB held on to defeat the Thundering Herd, 81-78, in basketball action Saturday evening at the Cam Henderson Center.
Marshall falls to 1-4, while the Blazers improve to 4-0 on the 2004-05 season.
In a close game throughout, Marshall had an opportunity to win or tie the game on its last possession trailing, 80-78, but A.W. Hamilton?s (Georgetown, Ky.) runner with two seconds to go rimmed in and out and UAB came away with the defensive rebound and the win.
?It was a great game,? said Marshall head coach Ron Jirsa. ?They made some big plays at the end of the game down the stretch, and we could not come up with the big play to counter them.?
Both teams were tied at the half, 40-40, but UAB used their defensive pressure and quickness to reel off an 8-0 run to start the second half to take the lead, 48-40. Marshall chipped away at the Blazer lead and stayed in the game, and with 13:52, a Hamilton three tied the game at 53, erasing the UAB lead. The Blazers immediately responded, re-taking the lead and expanding it to as many as six over the next five minutes. Trailing 66-60 with 7:47 to play, Marshall went on a 7-0 run, a stretch that was capped off by a Tre Whitted (Wilmington, N.C.) three-point bucket to give the Herd a 67-66 advantage.
Over the next two minutes, the lead changed hands twice, and with 4:53 to go in the contest, Mark Patton (Barboursville, W.Va.) knocked in a layup in the paint to give Marshall its last lead of the game at 69-68. UAB went on a 5-0 run after the Patton made bucket, and used the cushion the rest of the way to get the win. The Herd cut the Blazer lead to one on three separate occasions with under three minutes to play, but could not counter UAB?s clutch baskets with some of its own to get over the hump.
Whitted scored a career-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting. David Anderson (Levittown, P.R.) scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Hamilton poured in 17 points and had nine assists, and Joe Miles (Forestville, Md.)capped the Herd?s double-digit scoring with 11 points.
?Tre is one of our team leaders,? said Jirsa. ?With the mask coming off this week after breaking his nose against Wilmington, I think he felt rejuvenated and played well.?
Demario Eddins led the Blazers with 18 points, with Marvett McDonald adding a career-high 15 points, while Donell Taylor chipped in 14 points.
