Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Men Host Evansville Saturday Night
11/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2005
Marshall GameNotes
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Evansville GameNotes
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Thundering Herd hosts its home opener on Saturday evening in Cam Henderson Center with a familiar foe - the Evansville Purple Aces. Marshall faced UE on November 18 at Roberts Stadium in their season opener and dropped a 91-81 decision.
The Thundering Herd enter the contest with a record of 0-2 after a 71-54 loss to Virginia Tech on November 21 in Blacksburg. Travis Aikens (Orlando, Fla.) led Marshall with 16 points and 11 rebounds, his first career double-double in the Green and White. Senior centers LaVar Carter (Louisville, Ky.) and Mark Patton (Barboursville, W.Va.) added 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Herd shot 34.0% from the floor, compared to 43.5% for the Hokies, and committed 17 turnovers, which resulted in 21 Virginia Tech points. MU did out-rebound Virginia Tech, 42-29, on the night.
Evansville has started the 2005-06 season with a 1-1 record, with their lone win coming over Marshall last week at Roberts Stadium. The Purple Aces' lost their last time out at Loyola (Ill.) on Monday night, 99-86. Evansville has averaged 88.5 points per game in their first two contests, and has shot 46.4% from the floor. Leading the way for the Purple Aces is freshman point guard Jason Holsinger, who is averaging 21.5 points per contest. Forward Matt Webster is averaging 19.5 points off of the Purple Aces' bench, while Bradley Strickland is adding 13.0 points per contest.
The overall series is tied at four after Evansville defeated the Thundering Herd eight days ago. Before the two teams met last Friday, the last meeting between the two schools was in the 1951-52 season, when the Thundering Herd defeated the Purple Aces, 78-72, in Evansville. MU won a home-and-home series with Evansville that season, also defeating the Purple Aces 88-78 in Huntington. Marshall is 12-15 all-time against the Missouri Valley Conference.
With the win against East Tennessee State to open the 2004-05 home campaign, Marshall is now 21-3 in home openers since the Cam Henderson Center opened in 1981. The Herd's losses came against Oklahoma (70-81) in the Marshall Memorial Invitational in 1985-86, Troy State (72-77) in 2001-02, and UNC Wilmington (56-65) in 2003-04. Marshall boasts a record of 91-28 at home since 1996 and during that time has posted a record of 31-5 in non-conference contests, including wins over Wake Forest, Georgia, and UMass.
Saturday's game with Evansville is the back end of an early season home-and-home series with the Purple Aces in 2005-06, the first time the Herd has played a non-conference school home and home since Marshall played New Orleans in 1984-85. The Herd defeated the Privateers 98-78 in the Marshall Memorial Invitational, but lost at New Orleans, 78-74, later in the season. Marshall also plays Appalachian State in a home-and-home series in 2005-06.
Aikens has paced the Herd's offensive attack early in the season. He averaged 19.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in the preseason, and in Marshall's first two games, he is averaging 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Against Virginia Tech, he scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, his first career double-double with the Thundering Herd.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. from the Henderson Center.
