Marshall University Athletics
Herd Men Upset Miami, 54-47
3/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Herd Men Upset Miami, 54-47
3/5/2005
Seniors David Anderson and Ronny Dawn celebrate a 54-47 Senior Day victory Saturday afternoon against Miami. Photo by Matt Riley |
HUNTINGTON, W.Va ? Junior post player Mark Patton (Barboursville, W.Va.) posted his second consecutive double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead Marshall to a 54-47 win over MAC East Division leading Miami Saturday afternoon at the Cam Henderson Center on Senior Day.
Four Marshall players, David Anderson (Levittown, P.R.), Enoch Bunch (Nashville, Tenn.), Ronny Dawn (Fort Thomas, Ky.), and A.W. Hamilton (Georgetown, Ky.) played their final game on the Henderson Center floor and had a huge impact on the Herd?s upset win.
Hamilton scored 14 points, Bunch added 11, and Anderson chipped in four points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Dawn did not score, but tallied two rebounds and one steal.
Marshall?s defensive intensity was apparent on Saturday, holding Miami to only 30.8% from the floor, their best defensive performance of the season. The Herd also held its own in the post, making the RedHawks shoot 33 three-point baskets, and only 19 two-point tries. Miami made only 10 of those 33 three?s (30.3%)
?It?s a great way to end our regular season, and now our new season begins,? said Hamilton. ?We?re excited.?
?We did a great job on the boards today,? continued Hamilton. ?Mark (Patton) and Dave (Anderson) did a good job of getting some tough rebounds when we needed them. We never let them get over the hump. Once we got the lead, we hung in there and kept it.?
The Thundering Herd (6-21, 3-15 MAC) never trailed against the RedHawks (18-9, 12-6) in the upset win Saturday. Marshall jumped on Miami early, 6-0, although it took the Thundering Herd five minutes and 41 seconds to do so. Miami responded after the run with two three-pointers in their next two possessions by Chet Mason and William Hatcher to tie the game at six. Marshall built another lead following the two RedHawk three?s that grew to as many as seven points, and at the end of the first half, the Thundering Herd had maintained that seven-point advantage (29-22).
In the second half, the RedHawks closed the Herd lead to one at 35-34 with 13:27 to go in regulation on a lay-up by Miami forward Danny Horace. With Marshall leading 41-39 at the 9:35 mark, the Herd went on a commanding 6-0 run to push its advantage to eight, 47-39. It ended up being too much for the RedHawks to overcome, as Marshall played excellent defense and got key stops down the stretch of the game. Although Marshall never trailed, Miami was within one possession (three points, 50-47) from the 4:53 mark until two Hamilton free-throws put the Herd up five, 52-47, with 27 seconds to go. Hamilton added two more free throws to push the final margin to seven.
?You?ve got to give Miami credit, they played a tough ballgame,? said Marshall head coach Ron Jirsa. ?We?ve had great games between us since I got here.?
?Our seniors played very well today,? continued Jirsa. ?They?ve been through a lot this season and they pushed through today. They had a big impact on the outcome of the game this afternoon.?
Patton?s sixth double-double of 2004-05 (14 points, 11 rebounds) led the Herd. Hamilton and Bunch were the other two scorers in double-figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Josh Hausfeld and William Hatcher led the RedHawk effort with 12 points apiece. Danny Horace also added 11 points for Miami.
Marshall will travel to a yet-to-be-determined site on Monday evening. Further details will be available on HerdZone.com when they become available.
