Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Travels To Houston To Take On Cougars
1/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2006
Marshall GameNotes
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Houston GameNotes
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HOUSTON - Marshall returns to Conference USA action this Saturday evening when the Herd travels to Hofheinz Pavilion for a game with the Houston Cougars. Tip-off is set for 8:05 p.m. EST.
Marshall and Houston will meet on the hardwood for the first time since February 1, 1968, although it will be the first time the teams have played on a home floor. The previous meeting came at Madison Square Garden in New York, where the Cougars came away with a 102-93 win behind college and NBA legend Elvin Hayes' 39 points and 19 rebounds. Houston was ranked #1 in the country at the time, and had defeated UCLA in college basketball's most famous game two weeks earlier at the Houston Astrodome in front of 52,693 people. Bob Redd had 25 points to lead Marshall, George Stone added 23 points, and Dan D'Antoni chipped in 22 points for the Thundering Herd. The Cougars had a 30 game win streak in the regular season, but lost a rematch with UCLA in the national semifinals.
Houston enters Saturday's game with an 11-6 record, 2-3 in Conference USA. The Cougars recently got their second win in Conference USA on Wednesday, defeating Tulane in New Orleans, 86-57. Swingman Oliver Lafayette leads Houston, averaging 16.5 points per game. Lanny Smith adds 11.3 points, and Ramon Dyer chips in 11.2 points per contest. Dyer leads Houston on the glass, averaging 4.6 rebounds per game.
Houston coach Tom Penders is in his second season with the Cougars and has compiled a 29-20 record. Overall, Penders is in his 32nd year as a head coach, and has compiled a 556-381 record.
In the Herd's last time out, Marshall defeated #9/13 West Virginia, 58-52, in the Toyota Capital Classic in Charleston, W.Va., on January 25. The Herd, who defeated the Mountaineers for the second consecutive year for the first time since the 1980-81 and 1981-82 campaigns, took the lead midway through the first half and never looked back. West Virginia native Mark Patton tallied his 11th career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Marshall's effort. Joe Miles added 13 points, and Tre Whitted chipped in 11 points for the Herd.
Marshall's win over the Mountaineers was the Herd's second win over a top ten opponent in the 99-year history of the basketball program. The Herd's only other win against a top ten foe came in the 1971-72 season, when Marshall knocked off #8 St. John's, 110-107, in double overtime at Veterans' Memorial Fieldhouse.
Senior center Mark Patton (Barboursville, W.Va.), along with WVU's Kevin Pittsnogle, was named MVP of the Toyota Capital Classic on January 25 when he tallied his 11th career double-double with 11 points. Patton leads the Herd, averaging 13.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Tip-off for the game is set for 8:05 p.m. EST. The game can be heard live regionally on the ISP/Thundering Herd Network, or on the Internet at www.HerdZone.com.
