Marshall University Athletics
Thundering Herd Makes First Trip To Princeton
12/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 15, 2006
Marshall GameNotes
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Princeton GameNotes
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PRINCETON, N.J. - The Thundering Herd men's basketball team returns to the court for its final road trip of 2006 against Princeton at Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton, N.J. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. EST.
The Herd takes on the Tigers after it ended a two-game losing skid Wednesday night with a 79-72 win against Wright State at Henderson Center. Sophomore forward Markel Humphrey (Ellenwood, Ga.) scored a career-high 24 points and a game-high nine rebounds to lead the Thundering Herd.
Humphrey overtook senior forward Travis Aikens (Orlando, Fla.) for the team lead in points and rebounds after the performance. Humphrey now averages 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, compared to Aikens' 14.4 point, 5.4 rebound average.
The Herd trailed by 15 at halftime, but stormed back with a 22-2 run to start the second half to take the lead. Marshall never looked back, although the Raiders trimmed a Herd lead that had grown to 15 points to four on three different occasions in the second half.
MU was cold from the floor in the first period, shooting only 26.9% from the field and 10% from beyond-the-arc. Meanwhile, the Raiders were a torrid 58.3% from the floor and 54.5% from three.
The second half was a different story, as Marshall pressed its way back into the game and converted steals into easy lay-ins. The Herd blistered the nets at 63.3% in the second half, its best 20-minute percentage of the season.
Humphrey also added a game-high nine rebounds to his 24-point effort. Aikens scored 14 points, Mark Dorris (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 13 points, and Chris Ross (San Antonio, Texas) chipped in ten points. Ross also dished out seven assists, his best total of the season.
Marshall has struggled this year in the first half, but in all of the Herd's games except Memphis, MU has battled back to take the lead in the second half. The percentages seem to back up the Herd's struggles. In the first half, the Herd is shooting 37.1% from the floor, 26.2% from three, 63.7% from the free throw line, and has been outscored 334-274 (-6.7 scoring margin). Meanwhile in the second half, MU is shooting 47.2% from the floor, 34.3% from three, and 71.2% at the charity stripe, and is outscoring opponents 363-327 (+4.0 scoring margin).
There are a few connections between the Princeton coaching staff and Marshall senior assistant coach Bob MacKinnon. MacKinnon coached current Tiger assistant Tony Newsom when he was associate head coach at Niagara. Newsom was a four-year performer for the Purple Eagles from 1989-1993, and in his senior year, Niagara lost the 1993 MAAC Championship game by one point to Manhattan and went on to the NIT that season. MacKinnon also coached with current Princeton assistant Howard Levy at George Washington University. Levy was a graduate assistant while MacKinnon was an assistant coach with the Colonials.
Princeton enters the game with a 6-3 record after losing its most recent game to Rutgers at home in Jadwin Gym, 53-47, on December 9. Kyle Koncz leads the Tigers in scoring at 9.7 points per game. The Tigers are coached by Joe Scott, who is in his third season at Princeton.
Marshall and Princeton will meet for the second time in the history of the two schools, and for the first time at Princeton. The Thundering Herd won the only other meeting between the two schools, 78-64, in the Marshall Invitational at Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse on December 16, 1972.
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m., and the action can be heard live on the ISP/Thundering Herd Network throughout the tri-state region, or worldwide on the Internet at www.HerdZone.com.
