Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Men Entertain Toledo In MAC Action Saturday Evening
1/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Marshall Men Entertain Toledo In MAC Action Saturday Evening
1/14/2005
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Thundering Herd return to Mid-American Conference action Saturday evening when the Toledo Rockets come to town. Tip-off at the Henderson Center is set for 7 p.m.
The Rockets enter the contest with a 6-7 record, 2-2 record in league play. All-MAC West preseason selection Keith Triplett leads Toledo and is the only Rocket to average in double-figures with 15.7 points per game. Florentino Valencia is next at 9.6 points per game, and Sammy Villegas is third for Toledo at 9.2 points per contest. Valencia leads Toledo in rebounding, averaging 4.9 caroms per game.
Toledo knocked off Ball State in its last time out, 77-67, on Wednesday night. Keith Triplett led the Rockets in scoring with 16 points, despite shooting only 3-for-12 from the floor and 1-for-4 from three. Triplett did his damage at the free throw line, knocking down nine-of-12 attempts. Toledo held Ball State to only 34.5% from the floor and 27.3% from beyond-the-arc, but was out-rebounded 41-33, including 20 to 10 on the offensive glass. Justin Ingram (13), Sammy Villegas (12), and Keonta Howell (14) were the other Rocket double-figure scorers in the win.
Marshall enters the game with a 3-10 record and is searching for its first win in the Mid-American Conference (0-4).
The Herd is coming off of an upset, 59-55, win over #24 ranked West Virginia Tuesday night in Charleston at the Toyota Capital Classic. Marshall held West Virginia to only 39% from the floor, and a 15.8% from beyond-the-arc (3-19), and caught fire from three-point land, making 44.8% of its shots (13-29). In fact, all of Marshall?s made baskets in the second half were three-point buckets. The Herd had its lowest turnover output of the season with nine, and made clutch free throws in the waning minutes to hang on for the win. A.W. Hamilton (Georgetown, Ky.) led Marshall, tying a career-high with 17 points, and Ronny Dawn (Fort Thomas, Ky.)tallied 15 points, all on three-point baskets, to close out MU?s double-digit scorers.
With Marshall's win over WVU, the Herd became the only team in the Mid-American Conference to do so this year. The Mountaineers were ranked 24th in the Coaches Poll heading into the contest. Earlier this season, Buffalo lost at UConn, Ball State fell to Kentucky, Toledo lost at Duke, and Miami fell in a neutral site game against Cincinnati.
The win over the Mountaineers was also the Herd's first win over a top 25 team since December 2nd, 2000, when the Herd beat #24 ranked Dayton, 67-65, at UD Arena. Ironically enough, current Marshall head coach Ron Jirsa was in his first year as a Dayton assistant for that game.
Toledo leads the all-time series 32-21,however the two schools have each won four times since the Herd re-entered the MAC in the 1997-98 season. The series began in the 1939-40 season, and since then, Marshall has a 16-9 record in Huntington, and have won all three meetings in the Henderson Center since 1997-98.
