Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Men Travel To Akron For Wednesday Night Tilt
3/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Marshall Men Travel To Akron For Wednesday Night Tilt
3/1/2005
Junior post player Mark Patton led the Herd versus Ohio with 13 points. |
AKRON, Ohio - The Thundering Herd hit the road to take on the Akron Zips for their last regular season road trip of the season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Marshall leads the all-time series between the two schools, 11-8, although Akron won the earlier meeting this year, 65-55, in Huntington. Since the Herd re-entered the MAC in 1997-98, the series is split 6-6, with Akron holding a 4-2 advantage at the J.A.R., including the last two. This is the last regular season road trip for the Herd as a member of the Mid-American Conference, and the last regular season meeting with the Zips as MAC members. Marshall could still visit Akron in a first round MAC Tournament Game next Monday.
Akron enters Wednesday?s game with a 17-8 record, 10-6 in the MAC, and recently had a four game win streak stopped by Kent State at the M.A.C. Center on Saturday, 73-68. The Zips have been especially strong at home, posting a 12-1 record, with their only loss coming to the Golden Flashes on February 9th, 57-54. Darryl Peterson leads Akron, averaging 13.9 points per game, with Romeo Travis also averaging double-digits at 11.5 points per contest. Travis leads Akron on the boards with 7.5 rebounds per game.
In the Zips' last time out, Akron had a four-game losing streak ended by Kent State in front of the largest crowd since the Golden Flashes? M.A.C. Center was renovated in 1971 (6,502). KSU defeated the Zips, 73-68, with the deciding statistic showing up in the rebounding column. The Golden Flashes out-rebounded Akron, 40-23, including 16-5 on the offensive glass. The offensive rebounding led to 16 Golden Flashes second-chance points, compared to only seven for the Zips. Romeo Travis led three Akron players in double figures with 17 points.
Marshall enters the contest with a 5-20 overall record, 2-14 in the Mid-American Conference. Junior center Mark Patton (Barboursville, W.Va.) leads the Herd, averaging 10.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard A.W. Hamilton (Georgetown, Ky.) is the only other player averaging double-digits at 10.6 points per contest.
In the Herd's last time out, the Ohio Bobcats handed the Herd its fourth straight defeat in an 83-62 victory on Saturday evening at the Henderson Center. The Bobcats took the lead at 7-5 early in the first half and never looked back. Ohio scored 50 points in the paint, compared to only 28 for the Herd, and shot 63.6% from the floor for the game, the best percentage by a Marshall opponent all season. Mark Patton led the Herd in scoring with 13 points. David Anderson (Levittown, P.R.) also added ten points for Marshall.
Marshall has struggled to find the net in its last four games. The Herd has shot 38.6% from the field (88-228), compared to a 50% clip by Marshall opponents (115-230). From three-point range, the Herd has made only 24-of-77 (32.2%), while opponents made 26-of-60 attempts (43.3%). MU has also been out-rebounded in the last four games by an average of 9.25 rebounds per game.
Marshall is staring down the prospects of a #13 seed in the MAC Tournament, which starts next Monday at campus sites. The Herd would have to knock off the Zips and then Miami at home in the Henderson Center on Saturday afternoon, and then have Central Michigan lose at Bowling Green on Saturday to move to the #12 position.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and can be heard live on the Thundering Herd/ISP Network and on HerdZone.com.
