Marshall University Athletics
Western Michigan Downs Herd Men, 96-62
3/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Western Michigan Downs Herd Men, 96-62
3/11/2004
CLEVELAND, OH (Sports Network) - Anthony Kann scored 17 points, leading five players in double figures, as the top-seeded Broncos of Western Michigan recorded a 96-62 win over the eighth-seeded Marshall Thundering Herd in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament from Gund Arena.
Ben Reed added 16 points, Mike Williams 15, Reggie Berry 13 points and Brian Snider 12 in the win for the Broncos (24-4), their third in a row.
Marvin Black (Cleveland, Ohio) had 15 points and 12 rebounds for his tenth double-double of the season to lead Marshall. Ronny Dawn (Fort Thomas, Ky.) tallied 12 points, the only other player to score in double figures. It was the final game in a Marshall uniform for Black and Ardo Armpalu (Rapla, Estonia).
Marshall led the game early on, but it wasn't long before the Broncos battled back to take a lead midway through the first period and ride it to a 38-28 advantage at the break. Turnovers doomed the Herd in the first half - Marshall committed 12, which led to 15 more shot opportunities for the Broncos.
In the second half WMU used a couple of runs, one of 13-3 out of the break and another of 29-11 to close out the contest and cruise to the 34-point win.
The Broncos won the battle of the boards, 38-25, including a 19-5 edge at the offensive end of the floor. The advantage in offensive rebounding contributed to the team shooting 57.1 percent from the field in the second half and 46.4 percent from the floor overall.
For the game, WMU had 28 more opportunities, which stemmed from the turnovers and the Broncos' dominance on the offensive glass. The Herd shot 48.8% for the game.
Marshall finished the season with a record of 12-17.
